Weekly Wire: USBC Fundraising Campaign, National Breastfeeding Month Activities

The USBC e-Newsletter, Staying Abreast, is published in a weekly news brief format, called the Weekly Wire (WW). Past issues are archived below.

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Weekly Wire: USBC Fundraising Campaign, National Breastfeeding Month Activities

8/4/2022

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- USBC National Breastfeeding Month Fundraiser
- National Breastfeeding Month Shirts Available Through August
Special Section on National Breastfeeding Month 2022
International News
- 'Cost of Not Breastfeeding' Tool Updated
National News
- Workplace Protections Flyer Available in Spanish
- Update on Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations and Infant Feeding
- Report on Impact of Underfunding Public Health
- Best Practice Guide on Maternal Telehealth Programs
News & Views
- Media Highlights
- Journal Publications

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

USBC Updates

USBC National Breastfeeding Month Fundraiser

The USBC just launched a fundraising campaign in honor of NBM. We're aiming for 500 contributions by August 31. While that may not sound like too many people considering the size of our membership, it's an ambitious goal for us during National Breastfeeding Month! Because you are committed to this work, please make a donation to the USBC for our summer fundraiser on behalf of NBM!

We rely on donations to support our advocacy efforts. Our grants cannot cover these activities.

You know how hard we have been working on PUMP Act Senate passage, for months. In addition to PUMP, we have been tracking and analyzing federal funding that impacts infant feeding, and preparing for National Breastfeeding Month. Our NBM theme of "Together we do great things" applies to the power of our collective action in all aspects of our work. As we work toward our goal of 500 donations, we hope that at least 200 people will decide to become monthly sustaining donors (at any donation level). But, we are thrilled with any gift, recurring or one-time. Please take a moment to give today and get us off to a good start!

National Breastfeeding Shirts Available Through August

It's not too late to support National Breastfeeding Month and the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee by purchasing an official NBM t-shirt from our Bonfire shop! There are a variety of colors and styles available, including kids' sizes. About $5 of each sale supports USBC efforts to advance our mission of thriving families and communities.

Special Section on National Breastfeeding Month 2022

National Breastfeeding Month has begun! We invite all member organizations, breastfeeding coalitions, partner organizations, and individuals to participate in online action and conversation about the policy and practice changes needed to build a landscape of support for babies and families. Please share your organization's plans so we can amplify your work in the Weekly Wire and on social media. Highlights from the field include:

1,000 Days: 1,000 Days released the "2022 Breastfeeding Inspiration Guide" that provides an open-source, unbranded library of content for a community of organizations using social media to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding during August and beyond.
Alameda County LatCh Lactation Task Force: The Alameda County Latina Chicana (LatCh) Lactation Task Force created a social media video campaign in English, Spanish, and Mam. The videos will be distributed on Instagram and TikTok, social media channels with high use among Latinx families with infants and young children.
CBC: The California Breastfeeding Coalition published a social media toolkit to provide support to organizations and individuals promoting all the campaigns happening during August.
COBA: The Coalition of Oklahoma Breastfeeding Advocates is posting a series of informational and inspirational videos each week during August.
IBBC: The Indiana Black Breastfeeding Coalition is hosting its annual breastfeeding walk/run on Saturday, August 6, from 9-11 a.m. ET.
IMMC: Indigenous Milk Medicine Collective is hosting a virtual 5k in celebration of Indigenous Milk Medicine Week beginning on Monday, August 8.
Lamaze: Lamaze International is hosting a webinar titled "Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding and Maternal Health Legislation in 2022: The Federal Landscape and Lessons from New Jersey" on Thursday, August 11, at 12 p.m. ET. Speakers will discuss maternal health and breastfeeding policy initiatives.
MBC: Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition is hosting a series of virtual events throughout August.
NBCW: The Native Breastfeeding Coalition of Wisconsin is hosting a series of virtual events during Indigenous Milk Medicine Week.
NMBTF: The New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force is hosting a range of local, national, and international events during August.
Nurturely: Nurturely is hosting a webinar titled "Ancestral Lactation: Strengthening Traditions Among Mexican, Central & South American Indians" on Monday, August 6, at 8 p.m. ET. Tecpaxchochiti M. Gonzales will discuss some of the factors that threaten the continuation of chest/breastfeeding traditions among Mexican American Indian populations in the U.S. today and explain how the praxis of Ancestral Lactation can strengthen lineage-legacies and traditions in birth, lactation, and beyond.
NYCBLC: The New York City Breastfeeding Leadership Council is hosting a virtual breastfeeding subway caravan on Friday, August 5, at 12:30 p.m. ET. Pre-registration is requested.
SCMNBC: The South Central Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition collaborated with partner organizations to erect breastfeeding billboards in southern Minnesota.
WHO/UNICEF: The directors of the World Health Organization and UNICEF released a joint statement in support of World Breastfeeding Week.

Breastfeeding Month Proclamations

Kansas: Governor Laura Kelly signed a proclamation with the support of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition.
- Media highlight: "Gov. highlights importance of breastfeeding with new proclamation"
Michigan: Governor Gretchen Witmer signed a proclamation with the support of the Michigan Breastfeeding Network.
New Mexico: Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a proclamation with the support of the New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force.

The above unbranded graphics, plus more, are available for download on the USBC NBM webpage.

International News

'Cost of Not Breastfeeding' Tool Updated

Alive & Thrive and Nutrition International announced a comprehensive update to the "Cost of Not Breastfeeding" tool. The tool uses open-access data to estimate the health and economic costs of not protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding in more than 170 countries. Individuals and organizations can use the tool to calculate results for different scenarios or targets and determine the economic, health, and human capital impacts of investing in policies to support and promote breastfeeding. Additional resources from Alive & Thrive include:

Press release: "Increased country-level support for breastfeeding could save the global economy US$1.5 billion every day"
Blog post: "What a lack of breastfeeding support is costing the world"
Policy brief: "The Global Cost of Not Breastfeeding"

National News

Workplace Protections Flyer Available in Spanish

The Department of Labor Women's Bureau and Wage and Hour Division published a Spanish version of the "Madres Que Están Lactancia Maternal Protecciones Laborales/Nursing Mothers Workplace Protections" flyer. The flyer includes information about the right to take breaks to pump at work. The English version is available here.

Update on Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations and Infant Feeding

The Senate Appropriations Committee released the twelve Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Appropriations bills. The nearly $1.7 trillion FY23 appropriations package includes $653 billion in non-defense discretionary spending, a 10.1 percent increase over FY22; $850 billion in defense discretionary spending, an 8.7 percent increase over FY22 and consistent with the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the House; and $118.7 billion for VA medical care, a 22 percent increase over FY22. The package also includes $21 billion in emergency supplemental funding to provide the necessary resources to prepare for the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and to address other emerging diseases that pose a significant threat to public health. The explanatory statement for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill includes $9.93M for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program, a $180k increase from the House bill. A detailed analysis of the Senate appropriations bills as they relate to infant feeding will be released in the coming weeks.

Report on Impact of Underfunding Public Health

Trust for America's Health released a report titled "The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations, 2022." The publication tracks federal, state, and local investment in public health. It also highlights how underinvestment in public health programs and agencies negatively impacted COVID-19 response and continues to exacerbate health inequities.

USBC Insight: Each year, funding is allocated to a variety of federally funded programs that include breastfeeding support through the federal appropriations process. Appropriations for breastfeeding have helped build and strengthen critical programs and initiatives to improve maternity care practices, increase access to peer & professional support, ensure continuity of breastfeeding care, increase support for breastfeeding employees, and address disparities in breastfeeding rates. Take action in support of increasing federal funding for breastfeeding:

Best Practice Guide on Maternal Telehealth Programs

The Health Resources & Services Administration released a guide for providers on telehealth for maternal health services. The publication highlights the needs and procedures for a successful maternal telehealth program, including assessing if telehealth is the right fit for a program, how to prepare patients and providers, and information about billing for maternal telehealth.

Infographics on Reducing Maternal Mortality and Morbidity

The National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation published a series of infographics titled "The Uneven Burden of Maternal Mortality in the U.S." The publication highlights the new and existing challenges to providing effective reproductive health care, including access to lactation support, that will reduce racial disparities in maternal mortality. It also illustrates potential strategies to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity nationwide.