305823
Professional Lactation Services and Breastfeeding Rates in North Carolina: A GIS Case for Medicaid Reimbursement of IBCLCs
Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health educationPublic health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Identify the locations of IBCLCs across North Carolina for GIS spatial analyses. Compare rates of breastfeeding exclusivity and duration across geographic areas with differing numbers of IBCLCs and other lactation support services (i.e. hospitals that have banned formula bags, replaced formula use in the NICU, or implemented ten steps to successful breastfeeding). Demonstrate the growing number of IBCLCs across the state and the importance of Medicaid reimbursement for IBCLC services to improve access in underserved regions.
Keyword(s): Breastfeeding, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral student at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health studying maternal and child health, epidemiology, and GIS. I have an M.S. in Nutrition Science and Policy from Tufts University and have worked both as a researcher and as a community nutritionist providing breastfeeding counseling. This research project is a collaboration with the Chair of NC Breastfeeding Coalition's IBCLC Advocacy Committee and the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute's Director of Training.
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.