CWA Flash Newsletter - November 10, 2020 |
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Welcome President-Elect Biden! |
California WIC Association (CWA) congratulates President Elect Joe Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris on their successful election. We want to express deep gratitude to the many groups across the country that got out the vote out in key counties and states, representing the voices of Black, Indigenous and people of color. As a result, the voting outcomes in Georgia, Arizona and elsewhere are impacting the whole election. To see more teens and young voters engaged provides hope for our future. Charged with protecting and supporting the interests of the WIC program, CWA looks forward to policies and actions that welcome immigrant families who represent key parts of a successful economy and thriving communities. The growing number of young hungry children should be a top priority along with chronic disease prevention, including obesity and diabetes. Maternal and infant mortality especially among Black mother and families is an urgent concern. Birthing practices, breastfeeding support and paid family leave must be considered along with work life balance and critical early development and bonding for infants and children. Widespread support for inclusiveness for all individuals in our communities will lead to greater collective success in addressing racism and implicit bias so all may have opportunities, especially our children who are our future.
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On Nov. 2, 2020, a federal judge in Chicago vacated the Trump Administration’s 2019 public charge rule for violating the Administrative Procedures Act. On Nov. 3, the Seventh Circuit Court of appeals stayed that decision pending its appeal. USCIS will continue to apply the public charge final rule for applications submitted on or after Feb. 24, 2020. The federal rule on public charge went into effect in February, 2020, despite over 260,000 comments submitted to the Federal Register, mostly contending that the rule would do harm to immigrant communities in the United States. WIC is NOT included in public charge considerations. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that these changes could lead to decreased Medicaid participation for legal immigrant families. Nationwide, more than 19 million, or 1 in 4 (25 percent), children live in a family with an immigrant parent, and nearly 9 in 10 (86 percent) of these children are citizens.
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FAM Improvement Act Signed! |
The Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Improvement Act has been signed into law! The FAM act requires small airports to join larger airports in providing private, non-bathroom lactation spaces as well as baby changing stations in at least one men's and one women's restroom. Larger airports were already required to meet these requirements by 2021, and now small airports must comply by 2023. The USBC has published a new resource page with more information: "Federal Legislation to Protect Breastfeeding Travelers."
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Potential Budget Shortfalls Looming in CA Due to COVID-19 |
California will be facing major State Budget challenges in 2021 and beyond due to the COVID-19 pandemic which shut down the economy and raised healthcare costs here and across the country. With no Congressional resolution on the next COVID package(s) and the House and Senate controlled by different parties at the current time, it is highly unlikely that a large influx of funding will come to CA anytime soon. On the optimistic front, with the selection of Joe Biden as President Elect and Kamala Harris as Vice President Elect, CA will be in better standing for future federal assistance and potential flexibilities, particularly if the US Senate ends up being controlled by the Democrats (via the runoff elections that will most likely take place in Georgia in January). In 2021 CWA and other advocacy organizations in CA will be attempting to hold on to the current funding mechanisms for key programs we support and block any looming cuts, particularly via the State Budget process. We can also expect "bill limits" by the legislative leadership like we saw in 2020 due to the limited funding and that we will begin the year with virtual meetings and hearings again due to the pandemic. CWA will continue to support the Medi-Cal Program, Black Infant Health Program, Telehealth and flexibilities that support our local WIC Agencies. |
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Political Musical Chairs in California |
Governor Newsom will need to appoint someone to replace Vice President Elect Harris in the US Senate with a number of strong individuals under consideration and also pressure to appoint a female. Depending on who becomes our next CA Senator, there will be another position to fill for that individual’s current position. Lots of changes ahead! |
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Election results are in for the CA legislature, and CA is still controlled by a Democrat in the Governor’s Office (Gavin Newsom) and by Democrats in both the State Senate and Assembly. We can expect to see some new appointments to committees and chairs, particularly with Senator Holly Mitchell leaving the powerful Senate Budget post to become a member of the LA Board of Supervisors, which is now, for the first time, comprised of all five Supervisors being women. California voters also weighed in on several propositions - for the second time, voters rejected regulations on dialysis clinics by rejecting labor union-backed Proposition 23. Despite opposition from unions and progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders — who Democrats in the state supported over Biden in the March presidential primary — voters passed Proposition 22, effectively stripping gig workers like drivers for Uber and Lyft of California's minimum wage guarantee, paid sick leave, and other protections. Voters again rejected affirmative action by defeating Prop 16, which allows diversity to be considered in public-sector hiring and college admissions.
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CNC Scholarship Applications Available Nov. 16! |
We are thrilled to announce the return of CNC scholarships for the 2020-2021 term! As a reminder, applicants may apply once per category, must be currently employed in a WIC program with at least 6 months of continuous employment at the time of application, and currently enrolled in a dietetic internship, undergraduate, or graduate program. Applications will be available on our website on November 16 for the 19th year of the CNC scholarships! New this year: applications can be submitted via email! For more information, contact Lena.
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Join us for CWA’s Fall Virtual Education Days, Dec. 14 & 16. CWA will be hosting two half days of sessions (8:30am – 1:00pm) focused on Horizontal Integration & Data Sharing, Housing Advocacy, Managing Remote Workforces, Disaster Preparedness, and Coalition Building. These sessions offer CEUs and a chance to learn and network with community partners. With health care reform, and more recently, a pandemic, wildfires, and renewed anti-racist activism, safety net programs such as WIC can be a touchpoint for families in need across California. Additionally, broad collaborative working relationships at local and state levels are needed to ensure we are addressing social determinants of health with a focus on equity, justice, and prosperity. Find out more information here and register for both this and the CDPH WIC Local Director’s Meeting here.
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Promising Results on a COVID-19 Vaccine |
Pfizer announced yesterday that an early analysis of its coronavirus vaccine trial suggested the vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in preventing Covid-19, a promising development for fighting a pandemic that has killed more than 1.2 million people globally. Pfizer’s CEO has said that 30 to 40 million doses could be available by end of the year, enough for 15 to 20 million people to get an initial shot and a booster three weeks later. Who will qualify for the initial doses has not been decided, but groups that are at higher risk for infection, or are more vulnerable to the virus, are likely to get priority. That could include health care workers as well as older adults and those who have risk factors like obesity or diabetes.
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Analysis of Children's Height/Weight Indicates How Nutrition is Trending in Different Countries |
A new global analysis of data from 65 million individuals and published in journal The Lancet, has assessed the height and weight of school-aged children and adolescents across the world. The researchers behind the study warn that highly variable childhood nutrition, especially a lack of quality food, may lead to stunted growth and a rise in childhood obesity -- affecting a child's health and wellbeing for their entire life. The largest improvements in average height of children over the 35-year period were seen in emerging economies such as China, South Korea and some parts of southeast Asia, while the height of children, especially boys, in many Sub-Saharan African nations has stagnated or reduced over these decades. The analysis found that 19-year-olds with the largest BMI were found in the Pacific islands, Middle East, USA and New Zealand.
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Postpartum Depression May Persist 3 Years After Birth |
A National Institutes of Health study of 5,000 women has found that approximately 1 in 4 experienced high levels of depressive symptoms at some point in the three years after giving birth, while the other 75 percent experienced low levels of depression throughout the three-year span. The AAP recommends that pediatricians screen mothers for postpartum depression at well-child visits at one, two, four and six months after childbirth. Researchers identified four trajectories of postpartum depressive symptoms and the factors that may increase a woman's risk for elevated symptoms. The findings suggest that extending screening for postpartum depressive symptoms for at least two years after childbirth may be beneficial, the authors write.
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Public Health Nutrition Opportunities With CDPH/WIC |
CDPH/WIC has three vacant positions for Nutrition Consultants in the Northern and Southern regional sections posted to CalHR’s webpage. The final filing date will be November 16, 2020 for all three positions. The position requires the candidate to be a registered dietitian, have a Master’s Degree, and have the experience needed to meet minimum qualifications for a Public Health Nutrition Consultant III (Specialist) found here. Please see details of the posted positions below if you know of anyone interested in applying. Also note that the work location is listed as Sacramento County in the posting, however the position will not be required to be stationed in Sacramento. If you have additional questions about any of the positions available, please refer to the contact information listed on the recruitment. Please feel free to forward to any of your colleagues with related qualifications and expertise. Specifically: Public Health Nutrition Consultant III (Specialist) Northern Section; Working Title: Nutritionist; JC: 222428; Final Filing Date: 11/16/2020; Click to view on: CalHR and Public Health Nutrition Consultant III (Specialist) 2 Positions Southern Section; Working Title: Nutritionist; JC: 222449; Final Filing Date: 11/16/2020; Click to view on: CalHR.
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Study Participants Needed! Black Women & Birthing People
Learn more about, or participate in, this important study being conducted by Dr. Ifeyinwa Asiodu and her research team at the Motivating Interdisciplinary Lactation Knowledge (MILK) Research Lab at UCSF. They are conducting a study on Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experiences of Black birthing people and family members in the NICU. They are recruiting Black women and birthing people who currently or recently had an infant(s) in the NICU to participate in this study. Eligible participants will receive up to $75.00 in gift cards after completing an online survey and interview. By understanding these experiences, they hope to improve access to breastfeeding care and lactation support in NICU settings. Check here to learn more about the study or email LactationSupport@ucsf.edu. The study has IRB approval from UCSF
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COVID-19 Resource Tracker: A Guide to State and Local Responses
States and localities are responding with unprecedented activity to the health and economic crises caused by COVID-19. This guide compiles more than 160 resources tracking state and local data and policy responses related to health care, food, housing, income, schools, and other pandemic supports. Read more here.
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Every year, over 700 women die from problems related to pregnancy or delivery complications, which can occur up to a year after pregnancy. Two in three of these deaths are preventable. American Indian, Alaska Native, and Black women are two to three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women. The Hear Her campaign was created to support the CDC’s efforts to prevent pregnancy-related deaths. Available in both English and Spanish, the campaign’s objectives are to:
- Increase awareness of serious pregnancy-related complications and warning signs.
- Empower women to speak up and raise concerns.
- Encourage women’s support systems to have important conversations with her.
- Provide tools for women and providers to engage in life-saving conversations.
- Improve communication between patients and their healthcare providers.
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Masks and Exercise
A new study has found that exercise performance and blood and muscle oxygen levels are not affected for healthy individuals wearing a face mask during strenuous workouts. So although it may not be the most comfortable – mask up if you’re going to be working out in close proximity to other people!
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California WIC Association | www.calwic.org
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