|
July: Finding Quality Child Care
Choosing child care is one of the most important decisions parents make, and figuring out how to pay for it is a big factor. WIC Can Help connects families with child care programs that provide safe and affordable care, so that children stay healthy and are prepared for kindergarten while parents find and retain jobs.
|
Supporting Co-Workers Through a Bad Day
Sometimes it's ok to feel blue, down, crummy, or grumpy. It happens. We all go through it. If you see a workmate or friend who is not their usual self, asking if they are ok or if they need anything is perfectly fine. What they don't need is toxic positivity. Read more about that here and learn how you can be supported and support others in getting through a bad day.
|
Shopping at Amazon?
Support CWA without spending anything extra by using
AmazonSmile!
|
Did someone share this with you? Sign up here to get the CWA Flash directly!
|
|
 |
|
Congressional Action on CNR Before August Recess?
The Senate is pushing for their version of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) Bill by the August recess. The effort led by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) was slated to start negotiations last week. Differences over school lunch nutrition standards are holding up the CNR on the House side, with Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, heading that effort. On funding issues, the House did pass the package funding WIC at $6 billion, including first time full authorization of Breastfeeding Peer Counselors at $90 million. The Senate is holding out for the overall budget limits, before working on individual bills.
|
|
|
 |
|
LA BioMed and PHFE WIC Staff with Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard
|
|
Prepare for Congressional Recess in August - Invite Your Member!
Members of congress are in recess for the month of August, making it an opportune time to connect with your members and set up WIC clinic visits. Setting up visits to your clinics allows your member of Congress to see the great work you're doing, as well as advocate for policy change. ACTION: If you're unsure of how to set up a WIC clinic site visit, please refer to CWA's WIC Ambassador Toolkit and contact Sarah and plan to attend NWA's "Hosting a Legislator at your WIC Clinic: How to Prepare" webinar on Tuesday, July 23d at 1:00 pm ET.
|
Public Charge - Deportability Proposal Advances
The Trump Administration quietly advanced its draft public charge deportability proposal over the holiday weekend. Last Wednesday, the Department of Justice sent the completed draft to the White House's Office of Management and Budget for final review, meaning that the Administration is likely to publish the proposed deportation regulation, though perhaps not soon, as this stage of the regulatory process can take months while OMB receives input from advocates, local government officials, and other experts. The proposed rule on inadmissibility due to public charge is still pending, but a recent JAMA study found that proposal would likely cause millions of children to lose health and nutrition benefits, including many children with specific medical needs that, if left untreated, may contribute to child deaths and future disability.
|
State Budget
On Thursday June 27th, Governor Newsom signed California's 2019-2020 fiscal year (FY) state budget. The final spending planincluded significant investments in healthcare, education, and family leave. Starting January 1, Covered California will begin offering subsidies that could average more than $100 a month to Californians who earn between 400 and 600 percent of the federal poverty level, and will begin next year offering coverage to income-eligible undocumented immigrants up to age 26. Currently, Medi-Cal only covers undocumented children up to age 18. The spending plan will begin funding Newsom's push toward universal pre-k by increasing preschool slots for income-eligible four-year-olds. There's also money for child care: new slots and higher provider rates for all ages, funded largely through cannabis tax revenues under voter-approved Proposition 64. The budget also includes the extension of paid family leave benefits from six weeks to eight, and funds a task force to study ways for the state to extend paid family leave up to six months.
|
World Breastfeeding Week - Get Ready!
For decades Aug. 1-7 has been recognized by organizations around the world as World Breastfeeding Week. This year's theme, Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding, underscores inclusion of all parents in successful breastfeeding. In the US, we have National Breastfeeding Month, focusing on Support Changes Everything. During the month we will celebrate Black Breastfeeding Week, under the theme, The World is Yours. Here are some ways WIC agencies have recognized breastfeeding and celebrated the support in past years. You can also check out NWA's breastfeeding graphic that can be made into posters or fliers for display in WIC clinics, doctors' offices, bookstores, churches, etc. The graphic is available in English as well as in Spanish.
|
AAFP Backs Breastfeeding, Lactation for Medical Trainees
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has updated its policy supporting breastfeeding and lactation accommodations for medical trainees, which other medical organizations plan to use as model policy for their members. Key elements of the policy include providing adequate lactation facilities and protected time for expression of breast milk or breastfeeding, as well as outlining roles and responsibilities to provide an environment of support for breastfeeding trainees. According to current AAFP liaison to the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee, the Academy's new policy on lactation support for medical trainees reinforces its focus on health equity and public health promotion for all.
|
Food Insecure Kids Drink More Sugary Beverages, Eat Less Fruit in the Summer
A recent study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that analyzed data from two National Institutes of Health-funded, community-based randomized control studies shows that children who experienced food insecurity-those who had a limited availability of nutritionally adequate food-ate less fruit and consumed more sugary beverages during the summer, particularly on the weekends. Generally, children are prone to gain weight over the summer months. The researchers suggest that their research points to a need for ongoing and new efforts to improve weekend food access for children, particularly for those who experience food insecurity.
|
Infant Mortality is Higher for Parents with Less Education
New research from Denmark shows that infants of women with a short-term education are more likely to die within the first year of life. In more than half of cases, the cause of death is premature childbirth and low fetal weight. In Denmark, four out of 1,000 newborn babies die before reaching their first birthday; in the U.S. it is 5.8 infants, with significant and persistent racial disparities. Researchers say that reducing the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight by increased focus on improving the health of socially and financially disadvantaged women before and during pregnancy would be an effective strategy in reducing infant mortality.
|
Pre-Pregnancy Weight Affects Infant Growth Response to Breast Milk
In the first study of its kind, LSU Health New Orleans researchers report that women's pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity produces changes in breast milk, which can affect infant growth. The research findings are published in PLOS ONE. Researchers compared polyunsaturated fatty acids, inflammatory markers and hormones in breast milk to infant weight, length, head circumference and percent fat mass at 4-8 weeks postpartum in the same group of 33 women. The researchers found that pro-inflammatory qualities of breast milk were associated with infant growth measures regardless of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. However, infants born to women with overweight or obesity demonstrated less responsive growth to breast milk which could be a risk factor.
|
Position Paper on WIC's Support of Breastfeeding
Our friends at NWA have released their newly revised position paper, WIC's Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding: Making Breastfeeding Accessible and Equitable for the WIC Population. It replaces the existing version, Breastfeeding Promotion and Support in the WIC Program. The new publication highlights breastfeeding successes in WIC; discusses how WIC addresses health equity; and explores opportunities through which the WIC program can achieve broad and consistent breastfeeding support for all mothers.
|
Updated HSRA Resources on Breastfeeding
The Health Resources and & Services Administration (HRSA)'s Maternal and Child Health Bureau has published an updated webpage titled "Understanding Breastfeeding Benefits." The webpage highlights the benefits of breastfeeding for children, women and society. It also connects users to HRSA initiatives that support pregnant and lactating women and other federal resources with key information about breastfeeding.
|
Implicit Bias Resource Guide
The National Institute for Children's Health Quality has published their "Implicit Bias Resource Guide." The publication includes steps that individuals can take to minimize implicit bias and Q&A with health experts on how to recognize and address implicit bias.
|
Health Status Report of American Indian and Alaska Native Mothers
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announces the release of the California American Indian/Alaska Native Maternal and Infant Health Status Report. This landmark report provides a comprehensive overview of the health and well-being of American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) mothers and babies. California AIAN communities demonstrate resilience drawn from kinship, cultural practices, connection to place, and collective successes. Despite their many strengths, AIAN mothers and infants bear heavy burdens of disproportionately high mortality and poor health outcomes. This report identifies both the stark health disparities and the many positive outcomes experienced by AIAN mothers and babies. Importantly, the report uses an expanded definition of AIAN that more closely aligns with community-held and legal definitions of AIAN.
A key finding from the report is that mothers of AIAN infants were more likely to continue exclusively breastfeeding at two months postpartum than California mothers overall.
For a more detailed look at the findings, recommendations and methods, read the full report.
|
|
|
