Weekly Wire: USBC Annual Conference Registration Now Open, Last Chance to Enter Raffle for Free Registration

In this issue:

• USBC Updates
  • USBC Conference Registration is Open!
  • USBC Membership Meeting Brings Together Organizations from Across the Nation
  • USBC Comments on FEMA Disaster Guide
  • FY24 Appropriations Requests 
  • Last Chance: Join USBC Membership to Enter Raffle for Free Conference Registration
  • "Support is Our Love Language" Apparel Still Available!
  • USBC Supports...
• International News
  • Revision of Codex Standard for Follow-Up Formula
  • UN Nutrition Guidance Report
• National News
  • USBC/NACCHO Webinar on Breastfeeding Champions as Community Changemakers
  • Supporting Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding While Travelling Resource
  • Maternal Health Tribal Learning Community Series
  • NASEM Webinar on Research with Pregnant and Lactating Persons
  • National Public Health Week 2023 Coming Up
• State & Community News
  • Lactation Supplies Coverage and Tax Exemption Bills in Kentucky 
  • BreastfeedLA Advocacy Toolkit Now Available in Spanish
• News & Views
• Journal Publications

 denotes a USBC member organization news item        denotes a USBC-affiliated constellation news item

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USBC Updates

USBC Conference Registration is Open!

Registration for the 2023 National Breastfeeding Conference and Convening (NBCC) is now open! The annual USBC conference brings together a diverse network of clinical, community, advocacy, and research professionals who recognize the public health significance of breastfeeding. This year's theme is Expanding Connections and Partnering for Progress and is designed to develop and strengthen the leadership capacity of the public health workforce, including representatives from direct service organizations, breastfeeding coalitions, hospitals and healthcare facilities, health departments, research institutions, and federal agencies to effectively protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. An early bird registration discount is available through Sunday, April 30. Learn more, download the preliminary agenda, and access the link to reserve your hotel room at the discounted group rate via the conference webpage, and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) webpage.

USBC Membership Meeting Brings Together Organizations from Across the Nation

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee hosted the Winter Membership Meeting on Thursday, February 23. The biannual event brings together representatives from the more than 120 member organizations which comprise the USBC and work collaboratively to drive policy and practice changes that create a landscape of breastfeeding support. The event included a federal partner panel, national policy updates, and exclusive member updates. At the opening of the meeting, USBC Executive Director, Nikia Sankofa, delivered the Mission Moment, reflecting on the organization's ongoing journey to embedding and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in our work in the First Food field and emphasizing our renewed commitment to working towards not just DEI but also justice and belonging. Read our recent blog post for an excerpt of Nikia's mission moment. Learn more about USBC membership and how your organization can get involved. 

USBC Comments on FEMA Disaster Guide

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee submitted comments in response to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) call for public comments on a draft version of "Achieving Equitable Recovery: A Post Disaster Guide for Local Officials." The comments note that infant and young child feeding considerations are absent from the draft guide and urge FEMA to include infant nutrition security in disaster preparedness and response. 

FY24 Appropriations Requests

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee submitted requests to increase funding for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding line item in the Fiscal Year 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill to the following offices:

• Senator Murkowski (R-AK)
• Senator Britt (R-AL)
• Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
• Senator Manchin (D-WV)
• Senator Merkley (D-OR)
• Representative Aderholt (R-AL-04)
• Representative Harris (R-MD-01)
• Representative DeLauro (D-CT-03)
• Representative Underwood (D-IL-14
• Representative Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23)
• Representative Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12)
• Representative Hoyer (D-MD-05)

Last Chance: Join USBC Membership to Enter Raffle for Free Conference Registration

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee invites organizations that are working towards policy and practice change that creates a landscape of breastfeeding support across the United States to join the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee membership. New USBC member organizations will be entered into a raffle to win one complimentary registration to the June 8-10, 2023 National Breastfeeding Conference and Convening in Bethesda, MD. We are extending the deadline for the raffle entry to Sunday, March 19, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Current USBC member organizations are also eligible to enter the raffle if they refer a new organization to join USBC membership. Read more about membership on our Join the Movement webpage.

"Support is Our Love Language" Apparel Still Available!

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee store featuring apparel from the "Support Is Our Love Language" campaign is still available for a limited time. Purchases from this campaign help support USBC advocacy efforts to advance lactation-friendly policies for families and communities nationwide. Pick out a gift for yourself, loved ones, or new parents in your life, and make a donation with your purchase. 

USBC Supports...

• Association of Maternal Child Health Programs: Joint Letter Urging Support for Fiscal Year 2024 Funding for Title V
• Coalition on Human Needs: Joint Letter Seeking Increases in Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations for FY 2024
•  National WIC Association: Joint Letter Urging Support for Fiscal Year 2024 Funding for the WIC Program

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International News

Revision of Codex Standard for Follow-Up Formula

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States and the World Health Organization hosted the 43rd Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses. The Codex Alimentarius includes voluntary international standards, codes of practice, and guidelines that protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade. The Codex Committee session included the revision of the 1987 Codex Standard for Follow-Up Formula. Revisions were made to include references to the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (the Code). During the Session, nine countries, including the United States had reservations about the Code's impact on trade, which will be mentioned in the report but will not impact the adoption of the Revised Standard in July. The discussions and revisions resulted in a draft report, as well as other documents highlighting comments by countries and the various stakeholders participating in the session. Media highlights include: 

• Baby Milk Action/IBFAN UK: "After 10 years of struggle, Codex puts child health before trade at last"

USBC Insight: To learn more about how the marketing of breast milk substitutes impacts lactation outcomes, read the third publication in the 2023 Lancet Series on Breastfeeding, "The political economy of infant and young child feeding: confronting corporate power, overcoming structural barriers, and accelerating progress" and view the three-part webinar series from USBC, "Unpacking Commercial Milk Formula."

UN Nutrition Guidance Report

UN Nutrition recently published a report titled, "A guidance note on nutrition for United Nations country teams, their government counterparts and other stakeholders." The report offers guidance on integrating nutrition into the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, including highlighting breastfeeding in the workplace policies and integrating support for breastfeeding as part of a systems approach to nutrition.

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National News

USBC/NACCHO Webinar on Breastfeeding Champions as Community Changemakers

The USBC is presenting, in collaboration with hosting organization, National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), a webinar titled "Every Step of the Way: Breastfeeding Champions as Community Changemakers" on Tuesday, April 11, at 1 p.m. ET. This is the seventh webinar in the 8-part "Every Step of the Way through the 1,000 Days" series. The webinar will focus on Recommendation 7 of the Continuity of Care in Breastfeeding Support: A Blueprint for Communities: "assume a community champion role, beyond the provision of direct services, by identifying and engaging key stakeholders to identify and help remove structural barriers to chest/breastfeeding within systems, organizations, and the community." Presenters, including Monica Esparza, from the New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force, Jenny Russell from the Tennessee Breastfeeding Coalition, and Camille Abbe from the USBC, will review the recommendation, spotlight how individuals and organizations have created multi-sectoral coalitions and embodied allyship, and invite webinar attendees to share how they have served as connectors, coalition builders, and advocates within their community.

 Supporting Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding While Traveling Resource

BreastfeedLA and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California released "Supporting Breast/Chestfeeding While Traveling." The document was developed with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to train TSA workers on supporting lactating travelers. The brief training document includes guidance on transporting breast milk through airport security and breastfeeding at the airport.

 Maternal Health Tribal Learning Community Series

The National Indian Health Board, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is hosting a four-part, virtual webinar series titled, "2023 Maternal Health Tribal Learning Community Series." The sessions will occur once a month from March through June, with the first webinar taking place on Tuesday, March 21, at 3 p.m. ET. The series aims to build on Tribes' and Tribal organization's efforts to address maternal mortality prevention in Indian Country.

NASEM Webinar on Research with Pregnant and Lactating Persons

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is hosting an online workshop titled "Research with Pregnant and Lactating Persons: Mitigating Risk and Liability" on Thursday, March 23, at 10 a.m. ET. Pregnant and lactating persons are frequently excluded from clinical research, and often have to make treatment decisions without an adequate understanding of the benefits and risks to themselves and their baby. The workshop will discuss how institutions and organizations make risk-benefit decisions regarding the inclusion and exclusion of pregnant and lactating persons in clinical research, and the role of liability, risk management, and trial insurance in those decisions.  

National Public Health Week 2023 Coming Soon

During the first week of April each year, the American Public Health Association (APHA) brings together communities to observe National Public Health Week, a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation's health. The theme of this upcoming National Public Health Week is Centering and Celebrating Cultures in Health and highlights the importance of belonging, being part of our communities, and fostering cultural connections to our health and quality of life. APHA released a series of resources, including toolkits, sharable social media graphics, and fact sheets for individuals, organizations, and communities to engage in National Public Health Week 2023.

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State & Community News

 BreastfeedLA Know Your Rights Toolkit Now Available in Spanish

BreastfeedLA published "Conozca Sus Derechos: Lactancia en California." The Spanish language toolkit contains tools and information on the rights of lactating people at work, in airports, and in schools under federal and state law. An English language version of the toolkit titled "Know Your Rights: Lactation in California" is also available. The toolkit was developed for anyone who wants to understand laws that support breastfeeding in order to advocate for themselves or others. 

New Bills Introduced to Increase Access to Lactation Support and Supplies in Kentucky 

Kentucky legislators introduced two new bills relevant to lactation. H.B. 285 would create a sales and use tax exemption, removing sales and use tax for purchases of baby bottles, baby wipes, breast pumps, breast pump collection and storage supplies, breast pump kits, diapers, and feminine hygiene products. H.B. 272 would require the Department for Medicaid Services and any managed care organization (MCO) contracted for the delivery of Medicaid services to provide coverage for comprehensive lactation counseling, lactation consultation, and breastfeeding equipment. 

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News & Views

 Baby-Friendly USA: "What Does It Take to Sustain Baby-Friendly Designation for 25+ Years?"

Mississippi Free Press: "Year of Medicaid For New Moms Heads to Mississippi Governor’s Desk"

 NICHQ: "Better Sleep for Breastfeeding Mothers, Safer Sleep for Babies"

The New York Times: "Rural Hospitals Are Shuttering Their Maternity Units"

The Wall Street Journal: "‘How Will I Pump?’: When Your First Work Trip After Maternity Leave Is to Ukraine With President Biden"

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Journal Publications

BMC Public Health: "Community-based approaches to infant safe sleep and breastfeeding promotion: a qualitative study"