Weekly Wire: USBC Capacity Building Webinar, Special Section on Paid Leave, and more

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Weekly Wire: USBC Capacity Building Webinar, Special Section on Paid Leave, and more

4/21/2023

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- USBC May Webinar: Philanthropy With An Equity Lens
- Scholarship Opportunity for New USBC Member Organizations
- Sponsorship Opportunities to Increase Your Organization's Visibility at the USBC Annual Conference
- New USBC Members: Reclaim Black Motherhood LLC and Touch of Gold
Special Section on Paid Family & Medical Leave
National News
- CDC Resource on Infant Feeding in a Radiation Emergency
- Public Comment Opportunity on Food is Medicine Research
- Public Comment Opportunity on Office of Disease Prevention Strategic Plan
State & Community News
- Webinar on Providing Black Families in Washington with Culturally Responsive Holistic Care
- Oregon House Advances Bill Establishing Correctional Facility Doula Program
- Indiana Pregnancy Accommodation Bill Introduced
- New Hampshire Momnibus Bill Introduced
- New York Bill Introduced to Require Lactation Accommodation in Public Transportation Facilities
Funding Opportunities
News & Views
Journal Publications

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

USBC Updates

USBC May Webinar: Philanthropy With An Equity Lens

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is hosting a free webinar, "Philanthropy With An Equity Lens," on Wednesday, May 10, at 2 p.m. ET. Operationalizing diversity, equity, and inclusion has become one of the highest priorities for organizations seeking to advance health equity, including organizations in the philanthropic sector. Many leaders of private foundations and public charities are intentionally shifting their organization's practices and culture to reflect trust-based values and center communities as the core of social change. In this session, we’ll hear from Dr. Cara James, President and CEO of Grantmakers in Health, a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to helping foundations and corporate giving programs improve the health of all people. Registrants are encouraged to share their questions ahead of the session. Register today!

Scholarship Opportunity for New USBC Member Organizations

If you are a new USBC member organization or are considering joining the USBC membership, we invite you to apply for the Creating Space Scholarship! This membership scholarship is available to new USBC member organizations that are led by and serving BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) or other priority populations, and have an operating budget of less than $250,000. Through this scholarship program, the USBC is awarding up to 100 organizations complimentary membership for 2023. For more information on eligibility and how to apply, read the blog post about the Creating Space Scholarship opportunity.

Sponsorship Opportunities to Increase Your Organization's Visibility at the USBC Annual Conference

The 2023 National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening (NBCC) will soon be here, bringing hundreds of clinical, community, advocacy, and research professionals together for three days of in-person connection and sessions. This one-of-a-kind event focuses on building the field's capacity to create a landscape of breastfeeding support. A variety of marketing and sponsorship opportunities are available for businesses and organizations to increase visibility among these influential stakeholders. All sponsorship tiers include perks like complimentary conference admission, exhibit booths, packet promotions, branding opportunities, and more. Visit the 2023 NBCC Marketing Prospectus and webpage to learn about exclusive sponsorships and choose yours today. Sponsoring the NBCC demonstrates your commitment to supporting the First Food field. Space is extremely limited at our first in-person gathering in three years, so this is a great opportunity for sponsors to maximize their visibility. USBC member organizations are eligible for discounts.

New USBC Members: Reclaim Black Motherhood LLC and Touch of Gold

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is thrilled to welcome two new organizations to the USBC membership! Reclaim Black Motherhood LLC works to provide breastfeeding support, birth worker mentorship, and consulting services to ensure birth workers have the support they need to help Black families thrive. Touch of Gold provides breastfeeding and perinatal education and support. The organization serves as a bridge between mothers and the support necessary to achieve healthy pregnancies, fulfilling births, successful nursing experiences, empowered parenting, and enriched lives. The USBC warmly welcomes both members to the USBC community!

Special Section on Paid Family & Medical Leave

The United States is one of the only countries in the world without a national paid family and medical leave program. Access to paid leave has a significant impact on breastfeeding outcomes, and the USBC and the lactation field have been active in efforts to increase access to paid leave. Highlights from the field on this policy area include:

Alabama: The Paid Family Leave Income Replacement Benefits Act (SB 84/HB 141) has been introduced in the Alabama Senate and House. The bill would authorize insurers providing employee disability policies to expand disability insurance benefits to include family leave.
Arkansas: Arkansas Governor Sanders signed into law Act 770 (previously known as SB 426). The law extends the amount of paid maternity leave state employees can take from four weeks to twelve weeks. The legislation also adds paid leave for the placement of foster children up to 1 year of age.
Congress: Members of the Bipartisan Working Group on Paid Family Leave sent a letter to Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling on House leadership to join them in their efforts to create a federal paid leave policy. Read the press release.
Connecticut: Connecticut Senator Kushner and Representative Figueroa introduced An Act Amending Connecticut Paid Family Medical Leave (SB 1179). The bill would amend both the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave Act and Connecticut Family Medical Leave Act to include tribal enterprises and transit districts, and prohibit disability benefits from being offset by benefits received under such programs.
Iowa: An Act relating to state employee parental leave (HSB 201) has been introduced in the Iowa House and advanced by the Committee on Labor and Workforce. The bill would provide four weeks of paid leave to a State employee parent who gives birth or adopts a child and one week of paid leave to a State employee parent who did not give birth.
Louisiana: The Louisiana Family and Medical Leave Benefits Act (HB 596) was introduced in the Louisiana State Legislature. The bill would establish a state paid family and medical leave program, providing up to twelve weeks of paid leave. An additional four weeks would be provided for cases involving a complication related to pregnancy or childbirth.
Missouri: Missouri Senator McCreery introduced the Missouri Earned Family and Medical Leave Act (SB 548). The bill would create a state paid family and medical leave program, providing up to six weeks of paid leave.
New York: New York Senator Joyner introduced Assembly Bill 2059. The bill would provide up to twelve weeks of parental leave for railroad employees and require light duty during pregnancy.

National News

CDC Resource on Infant Feeding in a Radiation Emergency

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published the "Radiation Emergencies: Infant Feeding" webpage. The new resource provides information on how to feed infants in a radiation emergency for both breastfeeding and formula feeding families, including safety information on milk expression during a radiation incident.

Public Comment Opportunity on Food is Medicine Research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal departments and agencies issued a Request for Information (RFI) titled, "Food is Medicine Research Opportunities." The RFI seeks input on research opportunities that will optimize, implement, and disseminate information on regionally and culturally appropriate as well as linguistically sensitive Food is Medicine activities. This information will be used by the federal government for research planning and strategies for implementing Food is Medicine activities to reduce food and nutrition insecurity, diet-related diseases and disparities, and disease-related malnutrition. The deadline for submitting a response on the NIH website is Friday, June 30.

Public Comment Opportunity on NIH Office of Disease Prevention Strategic Plan

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published the "Request for Information (RFI) on the NIH Office of Disease Prevention Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2024–2028." The final ODP FY24–28 Strategic Plan, Prevention Research: Creating a Healthier Future for All, will outline activities coordinated by the office to assess, facilitate, and stimulate prevention research, and disseminate the results of this research to improve public health. ODP is requesting feedback from prevention researchers in academia and industry, health care providers, patient advocacy organizations, community-based organizations, health service organizations, scientific or professional organizations, trainees and early-stage investigators, federal agencies, those employed by NIH or at institutions receiving NIH support, and the general public on any or all of the strategic priorities listed in the plan. The deadline to submit a response is Monday, May 22.

State & Community News

Webinar on Providing Black Families in Washington with Culturally Responsive Holistic Care

WithinReach is hosting a webinar titled "Birthing in the Diaspora: Providing Black families with Culturally Responsive Holistic Care," on Wednesday, May 10, at 3 p.m. ET. The webinar will discuss the types of support and services Black families in Washington need throughout their reproductive, perinatal, postpartum, lactation, and parenting journeys, with a particular emphasis on a holistic approach to care. The speakers will discuss health disparities faced by Black infants and their families and culturally responsive, evidence and practice-based interventions that can mitigate the impacts of structural racism.

Oregon House Advances Bill Establishing Correctional Facility Doula Program

Oregon Representative Reynolds introduced and the Oregon House passed House Bill 2535 relating to pregnancy in correctional facilities. The bill would require the Department of Corrections to establish a doula program for pregnant and postpartum adults in custody at the women's Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. Services would include assistance with breastfeeding or milk expression, facilitating access to a breast pump and pumping supplies, and enrollment in the breast milk transportation program for delivery of the mother's milk to the infant. The bill is now being considered in the Oregon Senate. The Senate Committee on Health Care is hosting a public hearing on the bill on Wednesday, April 26, with an opportunity to testify.

Indiana Pregnancy Accommodation Bill Introduced

Indiana Senators Pol and Bohacek introduced Senate Bill 425. The bill would require an employer to grant an employee's request for a reasonable accommodation for a known limitation related to the employee's pregnancy absent undue hardship on the employer's business and prohibit employers from requiring an employee to take leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided for known limitations arising from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. The bill would also establish a civil action for a violation of these provisions.

New Hampshire Momnibus Bill Introduced

A group of New Hampshire Senators introduced the New Hampshire Mom-nibus (SB 175). The bill would update the state Medicaid program by extending coverage for pregnant women to 12 months postpartum, and require coverage of doula services, lactation services, and donor breast milk; establish minimum workplace supports for nursing mothers; provide funding for the Department of Health and Human Services to support healthy outcomes for caregivers and children; require implementation of the wellness and primary prevention council study and a report on home visiting programs for all parents of newborns and young children; and establish a network of early childhood behavioral health supports.

New York Bill Introduced to Require Lactation Accommodation in Public Transportation Facilities

New York Senator Kennedy introduced the Lactation Accommodation in Public Transportation Facilities Act (S 3383). The bill would require lactation spaces in airports, along the New York State Thruway and New York State Northway, and at railroad stations and bus stations.