Chest/Breastfeeding
The period from birth until a child’s second birthday is critical for proper development, and for establishing healthy dietary patterns that may influence health throughout the life course. Human milk is the ideal first food as it is uniquely suited for infants’ optimal growth, and it also has a substantial impact on the birthing persons’ health, which makes chest/breastfeeding support critical for improving community health. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended until 6 months of age, with appropriate introduction of nutrient-dense complementary foods. Many families discontinue chest/breastfeeding prematurely due to many reasons that could be solved with continuity of care in chest/breastfeeding support through the 1,000 days within communities. Moreover, significant breastfeeding and infant/toddler healthy feeding disparities persist by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geography
The Reducing Breastfeeding Disparities through Continuity of Care project, funded through CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, aims to improve local approaches to chest/breastfeeding protection, promotion, and support through the advancement of continuity of care in optimal infant and toddler feeding.
NACCHO has recently launched the Continuity of Care in Breastfeeding Support: A Blueprint for Communities, and an online repository of CoC resources. Visit here to learn more.
Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies: Community Preparedness Systems to Keep Babies Safe Webinar
The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) hosted a webinar on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, entitled Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies: Community Preparedness Systems to Keep Babies Safe. This session provided an overview of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E) Toolkit, shared current research exploring personal experiences and disaster-related factors that influence breastfeeding, and described how NACCHO has supported communities in emergency preparedness for maternal and child populations. Participants learned how Jefferson County Public Health partnered with their Medical Reserve Corps unit and community members to integrate pregnant people, families, and infants into Emergency Preparedness Planning.
To view a recording of the webinar, click here.
To view the webinar slide deck, click here.
To view the webinar resource guide, click here.
To earn CERPS/CPEUs, click here.
Early Childhood Nutrition
NACCHO has also been part of My Plate National Strategic Partners and has been supporting CDC and USDA to promote chapter 2 of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, dedicated to Infants and Toddlers. NACCHO has co-created culturally diverse nutrition materials for infants and toddlers based on the Dietary Guidelines with different communities (African American, Chinese, Latinx, and Vietnamese).
The first set of nutrition materials toolkits, including educational handouts with recipes, a nutrition assistance resource directory, and social media posts can be accessed here:
| Resource | Translation |
|---|---|
| Educational Handout from Dietary Guidelines | English / Chinese / Vietnamese |
| Nutrition Resource Directory | English / Chinese / Vietnamese |
| Social Media Posts | English / Chinese / Vietnamese |
Pictures from NACCHO's Breastfeeding Projects
Browse the tabs above to watch past webinar, read the newly published peer-reviewed journal articles, and browse the Stories from the Field to learn more about the lessons learned, barriers, facilitators and overall successes!
The series aims to identify public health solutions and promote equity in breastfeeding rates and access to care. All webinars feature local breastfeeding project presentations.
Continuing education credits still available for some of the webinars. Scroll to find the latest webinar credit information!
Find more resources for breastfeeding continuity of care on our Blueprint Resource Library.
| Title/Topic | Content | Links | Continuing Education Information | CERP and CPEU Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webinar #8: Demystifying Infant Feeding Data to Strengthen Continuity of Care (CoC) (to be livestreamed on June 28, 2023) | This is Webinar 8 of our 8-part Continuity of Care webinar series, #EveryStepoftheWay through the 1,000 Days. | View the recording | Instructions for CDC Continuing Education - WEB ON DEMAND - expires on August 1, 2025. | Post Test for CERPs and CPEUs - Link to receive credits available until June 23, 2024. |
| Webinar #7: Breastfeeding Champions as Community Changemakers (Livestreamed on April 11, 2023) | This is Webinar 7 of our 8-part Continuity of Care webinar series, #EveryStepoftheWay through the 1,000 Days. | View the recording, and view the Webinar Resource Guide | Instructions for CDC Continuing Education - WEB ON DEMAND - expires on May 16, 2025. | Post Test for CERPs and CPEUs - Link to receive credits available until April 10, 2024. |
| Webinar #6: Relating to the Family Unit and their Social Determinants of Health in Chest/Breastfeeding Support (Livestreamed on January 12, 2023) | This is Webinar 6 of our 8-part Continuity of Care webinar series, #EveryStepoftheWay through the 1,000 Days. | Register to view the recording | Instructions for CDC Continuing Education - WEB ON DEMAND - expires on February 15, 2025. | Post Test for CERPs and CPEUs - Link to receive credits available until January 10, 2024. |
| Webinar #5: Building Community Workforce Capacity to Equitably Support Chest/Breastfeeding (Livestreamed on September 13, 2022) | This is Webinar 5 of our 8-part Continuity of Care webinar series, #EveryStepoftheWay through the 1,000 Days. | View the recording | Instructions for CDC Continuing Education - expires September 24, 2024. | Post Test for CERPs and CPEUs - Link to receive credits available until September 14, 2023. |
| Webinar #4: Lactation Care with Warm Hand-offs and Referral Accountability (Livestreamed on May 24, 2022) | This is Webinar 4 of our 8-part Continuity of Care webinar series, #EveryStepoftheWay through the 1,000 Days. | View the recording | Instructions for CDC Continuing Education - expires May 24, 2024. | Post Test for CERPs and CPEUs - Link to receive credits available until May 24, 2023. |
| Webinar #3: Advancing Continuity of Care through Lactation-friendly Environments and Breastfeeding Policies, Systems and Environmental (PSE) Solutions (Livestreamed on February 28, 2022) | This is Webinar 3 of our 8-part Continuity of Care webinar series, #EveryStepoftheWay through the 1,000 Days. | View the recording | Instructions for CDC Continuing Education - expires February 28, 2024. | CERPs and CPEUs no longer available for this webinar. |
| Webinar #2: Improving Community Health through Continuity of Care in Chest/Breastfeeding Support (Livestreamed on November 8, 2021) | This is Webinar 2 of our 8-part Continuity of Care webinar series, #EveryStepoftheWay through the 1,000 Days. | View the recording | Instructions for CDC Continuing Education - expires December 21, 2025 | CERPs and CPEUs no longer available for this webinar. |
| Webinar #1: Continuity of Care in Breastfeeding Support Blueprint Launch (Livestreamed on August 24, 2021) | This is Webinar 1 of our 8-part Continuity of Care webinar series, #EveryStepoftheWay through the 1,000 Days. | View the recording | Instructions for CDC Continuing Education - expires September 24, 2025 | CERPs and CPEUs no longer available for this webinar. |
| TITLE/TOPIC | CONTENT | LINKS | CONTINUING EDUCATION INFORMATION | CERP and CPEU INFORMATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webinar #5: Key Community Partners in Establishing Breastfeeding Continuity of Care: Community Health Centers (Livestreamed on November 12, 2019) | Watch this webinar to more about the role of Community Health Centers (CHCs) in breastfeeding continuity of care, and to hear about four unique organizational breastfeeding support model implementations. You will also hear from two CDC REACH recipients who partnered with health centers to leverage efforts and amplified their impact by working together! | Access the Recording | No longer available for this webinar | CERPs and CPEUs no longer available for this webinar. |
| Webinar #4: Marshaling Resources to Serve (Livestreamed on September 16, 2019) | This final module of the 4-part webinar series will explore the richness and diversity of community-to-community linkages to advance breastfeeding continuity of care. An exploration of the breastfeeding socio-ecological model will serve as a framework for identifying community partners and change agents who could prove influential in establishing social and systemic structures to critically advance breastfeeding goals among populations with disparately low breastfeeding duration rates. | Access the Recording | Instructions for CDC CE - CDC CEs are no longer available for this webinar | CERPs and CPEUs no longer available for this webinar. |
| Webinar #3: Community Clinic Linkages: Why These Connections Matter (Livestreamed on May 23, 2019) | This webinar will discuss how communities are effectively connecting with birthing facilities and local medical providers to improve continuity of care from the prenatal period until breastfeeding weaning. Participants will also learn from local organizations that are effectively partnering with clinical partners to close the critical gap that many families fall through, pre- and post-discharge. | Access the Recording Please note that due to technical audio issues the introduction has been removed from the recording. | Instructions for CDC CE - CDC CEs are no longer available for this webinar | CERPs and CPEUs no longer available for this webinar. |
| Webinar #2: Navigating Organizational Change for Breastfeeding Success Webinar (Livestreamed on March 14, 2019) | This webinar focuses on internal continuity of care to help create a breastfeeding ecosystem, and addresses the organizational systems change we need to implement a seamless lactation safety net within groups that serve parents and babies. Speakers will provide an overview of the greater continuum of care primary care practices and Patient Centered Medical Home models for breastfeeding, and explore examples of replicable models that can be used to improve breastfeeding rates within your organization. | Access the Recording | Instructions for CDC CE - CDC CEs are no longer available for this webinar | CERPs and CPEUs no longer available for this webinar. |
| Webinar #1: Creating a Breastfeeding Support Ecosystem (Livestreamed on January 15, 2019) | This first session of the Weaving a Breastfeeding Safety Net 4-part webinar series will address the public health significance of community breastfeeding continuity of care to increase breastfeeding duration and exclusivity rates, and mechanisms that can be used to create a breastfeeding ecosystem including a seamless continuum of care to promote, protect and support breastfeeding in African Americans and low-income communities who are disproportionally affected by structural barriers to breastfeeding. | Access the recording | Instructions for CDC Continuing Education - CDC CEs are no longer available for this webinar | CERPs and CPEUs no longer available for this webinar. |
| TITLE/TOPIC | CONTENT | LINKS | CME, CNE, CECH, CEU Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinar #4: Broadening the Spectrum of Skilled Breastfeeding Support in the Community (Livestreamed on June 18, 2018) | In the fourth webinar of the series, the Breastfeeding Public Health Partners are chartering a course that explores shifts in the public health landscape of skilled lactation support. | Accessthe recording | Instructions to other CE Types - CDC CEs expire four years from livestream date |
| Webinar #3: Supporting Breastfeeding at Work (Livestreamed on May 14, 2018) | The third webinar of the Charting the Course Together series will discuss the importance of workplace support to increase breastfeeding duration rates, the return on investment for supporting both employers and employees to make breastfeeding work at work, and share useful and practical resources for supporting breastfeeding employees and their employers. | Access the recording | Instructions to other Continuing Education types - CDC CEs expire four years from livestream date |
| Webinar #2: Maternity Care Practices at the Nexus of Hospitals, Providers, States and Communities (Livestreamed on March 12, 2018) | The second webinar in the 4-part series will focus on public health breastfeeding support within the maternity care settings | Access the recording | CERPs and CPEUs no longer available for this webinar. |
| Webinar #1: Breastfeeding and Public Health Equity (Livestreamed on January 22, 2018) | In this first webinar of the Public Health Breastfeeding Partner Series we will discuss the significance of breastfeeding as a public health issue and explore the matter of equity in access and outcomes in breastfeeding. Presenters will share their public health breastfeeding work and highlight their efforts to advance equity in the field. | Watch the recording | CERPs and CPEUs no longer available for this webinar. |
| Title/Topic | Content | Links |
|---|---|---|
| Navigating Lactation Support Programs in the era of COVID-19: the path forward | This webinar explained how two federally qualified health centers and a community-based organization successfully adjusted their lactation plans during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue serving families and were able to sustain new activities | Recording |
| Unpacking Barriers and Facilitators to Exclusively Breastfeeding at Hospital Discharge | This webinar discussed both the results from a qualitative study conducted at a Baby-Friendly hospital aimed to understand factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding at discharge and the results of an analysis of the common factors from early formula supplementation from the mPINC survey. | Recording |
| Past, Present and Future: Adapting family-friendly policies in the Era of COVID-19; Why (and HOW) City and County Health Agencies should take the lead on Family-Friendly Policies and Environments | Learn from NACCHO, Jefferson County (CO) and Boulder County (CO) health departments why and how developing family-friendly policies is an imperative that will effect change throughout the community | Recording |
| Innovations to Advance Rural Health | Common rural barriers to breastfeeding and innovative solutions to advance rural health through breastfeeding support expansion | Recording |
| Engaging and Empowering Families | Successful public health programs reach community members where they are with services and supports designed to meet their identified needs. Many organizations host quality programming but struggle to engage and catalyze the community. | Recording |
Breastfeeding in the Community
BREASTFEEDING IN THE COMMUNITY SERIES
This series addresses specific strategies to truly understanding community needs in rural and urban areas. Both webinars feature local breastfeeding projects. Continuing education for lactation support providers (CERPs) are available for a limited time!
| Webinar title | Content | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Webinar 1: Implementations that Work - Part 1 | This webinar discussed public health breastfeeding. The second part of the webinar explored results and lessons learned from the Reducing Breastfeeding Disparities through Peer and Professional Support project. | Recording |
| Webinar 2: Closing the Care Gap Livestreamed on October 12 2016 | This webinar addressed varying mechanisms that can be used to create a continuum of care to support breastfeeding in underserved communities. | Recording |
| Webinar 3: Engaging the Hard-to-Reach Livestreamed on December 5th 2016 | This webinar addressed how local level organizations can better support communities with low breastfeeding rates by engaging and retaining women and families who are hard-to-reach. | Recording |
| Webinar 4: Leveraging Funds and Partnerships for Sustainability | This webinar addressed how local level organizations can amplify the impact and longevity of community breastfeeding programs through skillful leveraging of funds and partnerships. | Recording |
| Webinar 5: Moving from National Programs to Local Initiatives | This webinar explored how breastfeeding has been woven into the performance measures of national public health programs, such as Title V, Healthy Start and Home Visiting. | Recording |
| Webinar 6: Building Sustainable Projects through PSE Changes | Implementations of Policy, Systems and Environmental (PSE) changes within their organizations to sustain local breastfeeding support activities Please excuse the technical difficulties with the recording. The slide deck is available. | Recording & Webinar Slides |
We have plenty of resources dedicated to helping local health departments support breastfeeding in minority communities. You can use these featured resources or check out our full list of resources in NACCHO's Toolbox.
- Needs Assessment: This brief explains the importance of conducting needs assessments to inform program needs and activities and share examples of former grantees' assessments.
- Work Plan & Budget: This brief addresses the importance of key factors for community project success, including work plan and budget congruence.
- Home Visiting: This brief discusses practical strategies to incorporate breastfeeding into home visiting programs.
- Continuity of Care: This brief provide insights on breastfeeding community continuity of care needed to improve breastfeeding duration rates.
- WIC Breastfeeding Expansion: This brief highlights several examples of WIC breastfeeding expansion activities.
- Infographic: This infographic offers visual data on the successes of the Breastfeeding Project.
- Evaluation Plan: This brief provides insights on the importance of setting up monitoring and evaluation plan for your projects using examples from NACCHO's 2014 grantees.
- NACCHO Exchange: The summer issue of the NACCHO Exchange is now available online. This issue showcases the ways in which local health departments and other community-based organizations are implementing family-friendly policy, systems, and environment changes to increase breastfeeding rates in their communities.
- Webinar Series and Free Continuing Education: Thank you to the over 4,000 participants who attended our 2017 and 2018 webinar series! You can now find all of our webinars in one place. This document contains all webinar links from NACCHO's three series: the Public Health Breastfeeding Series, the Breastfeeding Public Health Partners Charting the Course Together Series and the Breastfeeding in the Community Series. You are still able to acquire continuing education for most of the webinars by watching the recording.
- Program Implementation Guide: This is a comprehensive resource developed with materials produced during the 4 years of the Reducing Disparities in Breastfeeding through Peer and Professional Support, 2014 – 2018. This community-level guide offers guidance and tools to help local organizations plan, implement and evaluate peer and professional lactation support programs. It covers a broad range of practical information that will support communities to ensure evidence-informed practices for successful sustainable programs!
- Archived Resources Guide
- Active Resources Guide
These stories share successful implementation strategies and common challenges encountered by grantees from the breastfeeding project.
- Bluestem Health Center Leveraging Partnerships and Strengthening Connections to
Support Breastfeeding Families - Erie Family Health Center Increasing Breastfeeding Support at Erie Family Health Center
- HealthNet: A Tale of Two Cities with One Common Goal: To Improve Breastfeeding Support for Low Income Mothers in Marion County, IN
- Community HealthCare Streamlining Breastfeeding Support and Education in a Federally Qualified Health Center in New York City
- Dakota County Public Health Builds on Breastfeeding Program to Create Rapid-Referral System
- Leveraging existing resources to achieve equity
- Peer Counseling in Arkansas
- Integrating Breastfeeding Peer Support into Hospital setting for improved continuity of care
- Reaching teen moms with breastfeeding education and support
- Local Communities Implementing the Continuity of Care in Breastfeeding Support Blueprint
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