Weekly Wire: WIC Food Package Proposal Blog, Global Breastfeeding Scorecard, and more

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: WIC Food Package Proposal Blog, Global Breastfeeding Scorecard, and more

12/9/2022

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- Blog on WIC Food Package Proposal and Public Comment Opportunity
- Webinar on Policy Solutions and Strategies
- New USBC Member: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Lactation Collaborative of California
- Deadline Approaching: Access to Donor Milk Act Sign-On Letter
- This is Our Why Line of USBC Products Available For a Limited Time
- Weekly Wire Hiatus & USBC Office Closure in December
International News
- Global Breastfeeding Scorecard 2022 Released
National News
- Webinar on Continuity of Care
- CDC Media Materials Celebrating Breastfeeding
- Action Tool Urging Support for the Black Maternal Health Momnibus
- Webinar on Cultural Transformation of Maternal Health Programs and Models
- Pregnant Women in Custody Act Passes House
State & Community News
- California Medicaid Program Coverage of Pasteurized Donor Human Milk
News & Views

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

USBC Updates

Blog on WIC Food Package Proposal and Public Comment Opportunity

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee published a blog titled "USDA Proposes New WIC Package." The blog describes the recent proposal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service to update the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food packages, the process for developing the proposal, how it would impact lactation support in the WIC program, and how to submit comments.

Webinar on Policy Solutions and Strategies

Join the U.S. Breastfeeding for the "Collaboratively Pursuing Policy Solutions: Lessons Learned from the USBC" webinar on Wednesday, January 11, from 2-3:30 p.m. ET. The evidence is clear that the policies and systems that shape and influence our lives have a significant and lasting impact on infant feeding outcomes. Too often, policy decisions have a population-level impact yet do not take into consideration the needs of infants, their mothers and lactating parents, and their families. For decades, the lactation field has come together to identify policy barriers and gaps and push for change. USBC Deputy Director Amelia Psmythe Seger and USBC Senior Policy & Communications Manager Cheryl Lebedevitch will review the organization's collaborative approach to organizing stakeholders for policy, systems, and environmental change efforts, describe strategies for creating legislative change, and share the USBC policy priorities for the 118th congressional session.

New USBC Member: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Lactation Collaborative of California

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is pleased to welcome the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Lactation Collaborative of California to the USBC membership! The Collaborative is a joint workgroup made up of AANHPI lactation professionals, public health workers, students, and retired lactation professionals from California. The organization works to mobilize AANHPI communities, mainstream reproductive health organizations, and public health systems through advocacy, capacity building, and policy work for systemic change to uplift AANHPI communities. The USBC warmly welcomes the Collaborative to the membership community!

Deadline Approaching: Access to Donor Milk Act Sign-On Letter

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee-affiliated Pasteurized Donor Human Milk Constellation has released an organizational sign-on letter in support of the Access to Donor Milk Act (ADMA) of 2022 (H.R. 9196). The ADMA would help increase life-saving access to donor milk for more families by:

allowing state agencies to use Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) funding to promote the need for and benefits of donor milk, and allow WIC funds to support donor milk activities in states;
providing $3 million in emergency capacity funding for milk banks in the event that there is a rapid increase in demand for donor milk, as was seen during the 2022 formula shortage;
allocating $1 million to create a donor milk awareness program at the Department of Health and Human Services and expand an existing program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to educate the public on donor milk and nonprofit milk banks, to publicize the need for donor milk; and
requiring that the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, issue a rule clarifying the regulatory status of donor milk provided by nonprofit milk banks.

Monday, December 12 is the deadline for organizations to sign on to be included in the initial delivery of the letter. Additional signatures will be added on a rolling basis.

This is Our Why Line of USBC Products Available For a Limited Time Only!

This holiday season, you can shop the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee's limited-time product line of apparel featuring our new This is Our Why design. Apparel options include hoodies and crewneck sweatshirts, to long and short-sleeved T-shirts, and even tank tops. Products are available in a variety of sizes and colors. Your purchase today can help create lasting change for babies and families. The USBC receives a small portion of each sale to fuel our advocacy efforts. Shoppers may also add a donation of any amount to their purchase. Order yours today!

Weekly Wire Hiatus & USBC Office Closure in December

The Weekly Wire will be on hiatus for the last two weeks of December, beginning the week of December 19. The USBC offices will be closed on Monday, December 26, in observance of the holiday. We look forward to connecting when we return!

International News

Global Breastfeeding Scorecard 2022 Released

The Global Breastfeeding Collective, a partnership led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, released the 2022 Global Breastfeeding Scorecard. The scorecard tracks country-level and regional progress on seven policy actions and on breastfeeding practices within countries. The scorecard is designed to encourage and document progress on the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding. Each action has a progress indicator and a 2030 goal, which serve as a call for action for policymakers worldwide to make breastfeeding support a collective national priority.

National News

Webinar on Continuity of Care

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is hosting a webinar, titled "Connect before Content: Relating to the Family Unit and their Social Determinants of Health in chest/breastfeeding support," on Thursday, January 12, 2023, at 1 p.m. ET. This will be the sixth webinar in the eight-part Every Step of the Way through the 1,000 Days webinar series. The session will focus on Recommendation six of the "Continuity of Care in Breastfeeding Support: A Blueprint for Communities" document. Speakers will discuss cultural humility, family-centered lactation care including an awareness of the intersectionality of families, and how social determinants of health impact an infant's feeding journey.

CDC Media Materials Celebrating Breastfeeding

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hosts the State and Community Health Media Center, featuring free or low-cost, audience-tested ads and support materials (including photos) in English and other languages. The 2022 Breastfeeding Campaign includes a series of media resources and free digital advertisements in English and Spanish containing information on the health benefits of breastfeeding, the rights of breastfeeding employees, employer benefits, and more.

Action Tool Urging Support for the Black Maternal Health Momnibus

MomsRising launched an action tool titled "Tell the Senate to enact legislation addressing the Black maternal health crisis before the end of the year!" Individuals can use the tool to contact their Senators in support of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus. This package of legislation takes urgent, serious action to end the maternal health crisis by building on existing legislation in Congress.

Webinar on Cultural Transformation of Maternal Health Programs and Models

The Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center is hosting a webinar, titled "Cultural Transformation of Maternal Health Programs and Models – Training Indigenous Lactation Counselors," on Thursday, December 15, at 3 p.m. ET. Presenters Camie Goldhammer and Kimberly Moore Salas will discuss what it means to culturally adapt/transform training and program models for diverse communities as well as how to best support this work. Additionally, the speakers will present on a community-led model of expanding breastfeeding support and certification in Native American and Indigenous communities.

Pregnant Women in Custody Act Passes House

The Pregnant Women in Custody Act (H.R. 6878) passed the House of Representatives. The bill would provide a national standard of care to address pregnancy-related needs of incarcerated women during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and post-partum periods.

State & Community News

Medi-Cal Coverage of Pasteurized Donor Human Breast Milk California

Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid health care program, announced new coverage of medically necessary pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) milk when obtained from a licensed and approved facility. There are two Human Milk banks in California: Mothers Milk Bank in San Jose, and the University of California Health Milk Bank in San Diego.