CWA Flash E-Newsletter - January 22, 2019
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      Unemployment Assistance, Debt Counseling, and Financial Literacy 
  Although being unemployed is never easy and looking for a job is a job in itself, WIC Can Help by referring families to a multitude of resources that can assist with everything from job training to learning how to get out of debt after lost wages from not working. WIC can provide resources to help families learn about the difference between credit and savings, and knowing who to trust when making financial decisions for themselves or others. 
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Welcome New Well WIC Worksites!     
  Please join us in congratulating Sonoma County WIC and San Ysidro Health on becoming Well WIC Worksite Certified. Our list of Well WIC Worksites continues to grow and so many employees are leading the charge on making healthy choices and helping their coworkers to join in on the wellness. Is your office interested in becoming certified? Take a look at our Worksite Wellness page here or email Jodi with questions. 
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Policy
Furloughed Federal Employees Seek WIC Services
With the shutdown now exceeding a month, federal employees are increasingly seeking WIC services. Local WIC staff report that employees of TSA, border agents, forestry services and prisons are being assisted with applying for WIC benefits. Families and staff are understandably concerned about the shutdown impacting their ability to feed their infants and children, and grocers have concerns about accepting checks. Similarly, participants, staff and vendors of the SNAP program are experiencing anxieties. Most SNAP recipients in the United States should have received their full February benefits on or before January 20. These benefits are automatically loaded on their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards and will need to last through the month of February. ACTION: WIC staff are encouraged to reassure participants that WIC remains open and grocers should accept WIC checks.  
Governor Newsom Announces "California for All" Budget
Governor Newsom has announced his first budget proposal. The governor proposed several investments aimed at reducing poverty and improving healthcare access. These include the expansion of Medi-Cal to undocumented young adults; investments to improve healthcare affordability; and a Working Families Tax Credit and expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. The Budget contains a series of proposals for early childhood education and childcare, including a down payment to expand Paid Family Leave; funding for universal preschool for all income-eligible four-year-old children in the state, phased in over a three-year period; and a framework to implement a comprehensive, high-quality child care system in the state with $500 million in one-time General Funds to build child care infrastructure. Also included is $347.6 million in General Funds in 2019-20 to raise CalWORKS grant levels to 50 percent of the projected 2019 federal poverty level from $785 to $888 per month, $78.9 million to provide home visiting services to approximately 16,000 eligible CalWORKs families in 2019-20, and $500 million one-time in General Funds for local governments to build emergency shelters and navigation centers, as well as $25 million in General Funds ongoing to assist homeless disabled individuals in applying for disability benefits. 
Newly Appointed State Experts: Children's Well-Being 
Moving quickly to establish his initiative to improve the well-being of children, Governor Newson appointed Dr. Nadine Burke, as California's first Surgeon General, and Kris Perry, as Deputy Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency for Early Childhood Development and Senior Advisor to the Governor on Implementation of Early Childhood Development Initiatives. Among her many achievements, Dr. Burke is well known for her work to advance the importance of detecting, treating and addressing the long term impact of adverse childhood experiences, (ACEs) and founder of the Center for Youth Wellness in San Francisco. Many WIC staff will remember Kris Perry for her leadership at First 5 California. More recently she has been at Save the Children Action Network a national organization that provides a political voice on behalf of children. 
 
CWA News
WIC Watch - Special Conference Edition!
Lots of great work is going on in the local agencies. New ways to provide services are being tested. WIC checks are being used at farmers' markets to get fruits and vegetables. Dietetic interns are being trained. WIC families are getting fantastic nutrition and breastfeeding information and support. You see incredible examples of resilience and compassion. You or your colleagues are putting it all out there to stay healthy. Let's hear from you. We need our agency's stories! We are working on the next WIC Watch magazine for publication at the spring conference. Please contact Sarah by February 22nd to send in your article or story.  
 
Our Top News Picks
Accidental Overdose Deaths Overtake Traffic Accident Deaths in U.S. 
Americans are now more likely to die from accidental opioid overdoses than from traffic accidents, according to a study from the National Safety Council. Analysis of preventable injuries and deaths in 2017 found the odds of dying by accidental opioid overdose to be 1 in 96 and the odds of a motor vehicle crash 1 in 103. On average, 130 Americans die each day after overdosing on opioids, according to the CDC. Last year, 70,237 deaths were caused due to drug overdoses, with opioids being the main cause. The CDC also reported the national life expectancy rate is going down as the number of fatal opioid overdoses rise, with those born in 2017 expected to live to be 78.6 years old. The NSC study notes statistical averages of the U.S. population, not the chances of death for a particular person, which are affected by factors such as where individuals live, drive and work. 
Predicting Postpartum Depression 
A new study was able to successfully predict -- with 72.8 percent accuracy -- if a new mother would experience worsening depressive symptoms over the first year after giving birth. The scientists predicted this depression trajectory using four maternal characteristics that put the mother at risk. Identifying these factors early in the postpartum period will allow mothers to seek treatment earlier and improve their chance of a full recovery. 
Coca Cola and China's Public Health Policy  
You might remember the Global Energy Balance Network, an industry funded group, led by Coca Cola, primarily focusing on exercise, not nutrition, to address obesity. Now defunct, a similar initiative has been created in China, and is even housed within government offices. Operating through International Life Sciences Institute, a partnership of public organizations and private industry, investigations indicate that the intent is to influence public health policy in large markets, such as China, focusing less on the impact of nutrition in stemming the obesity epidemic. 
 
Resources
Peer Counselor with
Support Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program
The National WIC Association has launched an online action tool making it easy for you to ask your member of Congress to Support the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program. On January 15, breastfeeding peer counselors met in Washington DC to educate legislators about the value of the WIC breastfeeding peer counselor program. ACTION: You can help by contacting your legislators via the easy online action tool. Individuals can use this action alert to email, tweet, or call their members of Congress. Please Note: This is a lobbying action. 
Report on Economic Insecurity
"100 Million and Counting: A Portrait of Economic Insecurity in the United States" is a report from PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity at USC, showing that even with low unemployment, economic insecurity is growing rapidly. Since 2000, the population living at or below 200 percent of poverty has grown by 25 million - more than twice as fast as the nation's population growth overall. In addition to nuanced data on who is economically insecure in America, the report offers bold policies that organizers, policymakers, business leaders, and others can pursue to foster a more inclusive and equitable economy. ACTION: Download the report and fact sheet. 
 
California WIC Association
3120 Freeboard Dr., Suite 101, West Sacramento, CA 95691

Phone: 916-572-0700; Fax: 916-572-0760
www.calwic.org