Washington, DC, February 26, 2024 — The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the voice of the country’s over 3,300 local health departments, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) awarded funds to nine communities to improve infant and toddler nutrition security by implementing the Continuity of Care in Breastfeeding Support Blueprint: A Blueprint for Communities. Each grantee plans to strengthen community lactation support and strategies to advance the nutrition security landscape within the critical first 1,000-day period, from pregnancy to a child’s second year of life.

Supporting continuity of care is critical for early childhood nutrition and lifelong health. The first 1,000 days represent a critical window for establishing healthy dietary patterns that promote healthy growth and development. Leading medical and government organizations recognize that optimal infant and young child nutrition includes exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding with age-appropriate complementary feeding for at least two years or longer.

Human milk feeding is the first food security; however, there is a need to ensure continuity in nutrition security throughout the first 1,000 days and beyond. Access to healthy foods for complementary feeding and culturally responsive nutrition education and resources are key to ensuring that children have the best start in life. However, significant infant and young child nutrition disparities and inequities persist by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geography. This funding provides a chance to expand and leverage existing continuity of care in breastfeeding support and nutrition security efforts.

All nine grantees, collectively serving Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities, were selected to support the implementation of the Continuity of Care in Breastfeeding and to develop community-driven approaches towards chest/breastfeeding and/or early childhood nutrition security.

The nine selected grantees are:

• Augusta University Research Institute, Inc, Aiken, SC ($30,000)
• Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare Systems, Winnebago and Omaha Reservations, NE ($30,000)
• Dayton Children’s Hospital, Montgomery County, OH ($50,000)
• Andrew County Health Department, Andrew County, MO (50,000)
• Alimentacion Segura Infantil & HealthConnect One, Puerto Rico ($50,000)
• The University of Nevada (UNLV), Las Vegas, NV ($50,000)
• Cuenta Conmigo & Edgewater Collective, Jefferson County, CO ($50,000)
• Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County- Eskenazi Health Family Beginnings, Marion County, IN ($50,000)
• Nourish Foundation, Auburn/Opelika, Alabama ($50,000)

Learn more about the grantees’ work and their implementation partners here.

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About NACCHO

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the country’s over 3,300 local health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.