295905
Michigan: Facilitating Breastfeeding Support in Communities
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
: 4:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Gwendoline Imes, MS, RD,
Cardiovascular Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity Section, Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing, MI
Michigan's Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention (NPAO) Program is partnering with nine local agencies and coalitions and two state-wide programs to provide community-based breastfeeding support throughout the state. The project aims to provide technical assistance, training and resources to partner agencies who will work at the community level to address the breastfeeding challenges of early-postpartum mothers, particularly in underserved communities. This intervention focuses on three primary strategies - breastfeeding training; creation and dissemination of resources; and enhancing access and availability to community-based breastfeeding support. Breastfeeding training is an important component to this intervention. The State WIC Program and the Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association will provide state-wide training opportunities to professional and paraprofessional staff to increase their knowledge and skills in the normal course of breastfeeding, breastfeeding promotion, support, and issues related to cultural competency in breastfeeding. Local breastfeeding coalitions will develop breastfeeding resource guides to assist with referral needs of breastfeeding women, and make them available to local WIC agencies and Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP) providers; guides will be posted on program websites to ensure state-wide exposure. Breastfeeding support in underserved communities will be provided by local breastfeeding coalitions, Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association peer counselors and WIC peer counselors. Services include monthly breastfeeding support groups, walk-in clinic time and phone support. Early care and education providers provide breastfeeding support by initiating and completing the "10 Steps to Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Centers," which assists providers in delivering accurate, consistent support to breastfeeding families whose babies are in their care. Medicaid-enrolled breastfeeding women will receive in-home breastfeeding assessment, support and referrals from up to 240 MIHP providers via integrated in-home case management services. These unique partnerships will help create a sustainable, diverse network of breastfeeding support services throughout Michigan, with the goal of improving breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity.
Learning Areas:
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Identify ways to engage community based organizations to integrate breastfeeding support into existing programs
Keyword(s): Breastfeeding
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified because I have worked in a variety of state and local public health programs, including WIC, Diabetes Prevention and Control, and in Maternal Child Health. I have a Masters of Science degree, and am a Registered Dietitian with over 30 years of public health experience. I currently serve as the Obesity Program Manager at the Michigan Department of Community Health, and have extensive knowledge of the program described in this presentation.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
