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Child Care
Child care is a lasting investment, and the increased support in California's 2018-19 State Budget reflects this. Even though this support falls short of the need, there are still many resources to help families with limited income select and pay for quality child care. WIC Can Help connect families with safe, affordable child care programs so children stay healthy and are prepared for kindergarten while parents find and retain jobs.
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Brisk Walking for Wellness
Most of us know we should walk briskly for the sake of our health. But how fast is brisk? About 100 steps per minute, concludes a helpful new study - a number lower than many of us might expect.
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Farm Bill Passes Senate
Last week the Senate passed a version of the Farm Bill, including similar foundational strategies for the SNAP program in the House version, but far different in details and predicted outcomes. The Senate version includes continued development of work and job training requirements, measures to promote program integrity and improve operations, funding to better serve key populations, and support for specific nutrition strategies. Next step will be hearings, expected to begin this week, to reach agreement on a
conferenced bill
between the House and Senate. Shout out to Sen. Pat Roberts, Agriculture Committee Chair, R-KS, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member, D-MI for their bi-partisan leadership. ACTION:Read the
analysis
provided by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
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Public Charge Update
The push back
against proposed changes to public charge regulations continue, led by the Center for Law and Social Policy (
CLASP
) and National Immigration Law Center (
NILC
) through the
Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign
(PIF) which provides many resources for organizations and individuals. Nothing has changed, related to participation in WIC, but there is great fear, confusion and misinformation.
NWA has provided useful FAQs available in
English
,
Spanish
and
Chinese
and will provide an analysis of the rule, when/if it is posted. Local actions to push back are taking place and your organization can contribute. ACTIONS: 1. Watch and SHARE this
interview
on C-SPAN regarding impacts on families and communities. 2. Please continue to send information to state WIC staff and
NWA
so they are aware of local impacts, participant decisions and sources of misinformation. 3.
Sign on to this
organizational advanced sign on
statement from the
Protecting Immigrant Families
campaign, which will go out as soon as the proposed rule is released.
4.
Thank your California legislator who was among the
86 members
of the House who signed on to Rep. Espaillat's letter to Dept. of Homeland Security.
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Immigration Votes Likely This Week After Executive Order Fails to Resolve Issues
In mid-June, the White House issued an executive order addressing the Administration's policy of family separation at the border, which had drawn condemnation from
Republican leaders
, the
faith community
, and
world leaders
. The executive order ostensibly ends the policy of family separation by calling for family unity in detention. Existing law limits the ability of federal officials to detain children for longer than
20 days
, but the executive order problematically seeks to detain families, together, for an indefinite period of time. The executive order also offers no solution for the more than 3,700 children who had already been separated from their parents
. President Trump has
called
for the deportation of families - including those seeking asylum - without any regard for due process or Constitutionality. Despite Speaker Ryan's desire to move on immigration legislation, he
postponed a vote
after "compromise" legislation lacked support. It is likely that Speaker Ryan will move forward with additional immigration votes this week. Thanks to our colleagues at NWA for continuing updates as legislation moves forward.
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Family Medical Leave Modernization Act
Representative Carolyn Maloney has introduced the
Family Medical Leave Modernization Act of 2018
(FMLA Modernization Act). The bill would update the current Family and Medical Leave Act by lowering the employer threshold, adding parental involvement leave to the list of eligible caregiving purposes, and updating the family definition to cover a broader range of family relationships, including chosen family.
Read the press release
.
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California "Soda Tax" Back and Forth
Last week California lawmakers grudgingly passed a 12-year ban on cities and counties local taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, but healthcare groups announced yesterday that they will pursue a statewide "soda tax" initiative on the 2020 ballot to pay for public health programs. The proposed 2-cents-per-fluid-ounce tax would mean an additional 24 cents tacked onto the cost of a 12-ounce can, or an extra $1.34 for a 2-liter bottle sold in the state, and would raise an estimated $1.7-1.9 billion. The tax would not apply to diet sodas, fruit and vegetable juices with no added sugar and drinks in which milk is the primary ingredient.
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Lactation Accommodation and Social Media Webinar
Have you registered yet? CWA and the California Breastfeeding Coalition, with Lynette Anigbo, US Breastfeeding Committee and Erica Root, California Department of Public Health will provide a webinar to help you learn how to craft effective tweets that focus on lactation accommodation in the workplace. Learn how to harness the power of Twitter, a platform that has tremendous reach, but is often underutilized. Don't miss this on Mon. July 9, 12-1:30pm. ACTION:
Register now
!
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Farm2WIC Toolkit Now Available
CWA has just published two new Farm2WIC publications, both linked on our
Farm2WIC webpage
where you'll also find marketing and educational materials.
Farm2WIC: Tapping New Markets, Building Healthy Communities
is an issue brief addressing the challenges and recommended solutions to increasing access among WIC families to fresh produce at farmers' markets. It's a great resource to share with farmers, market managers, supporters of farmers' markets and WIC folks, but especially local and state decision makers.
Farm2WIC Toolkit: Connecting Farmers, Market Managers, Local WIC Agencies & Partners with Families for Vibrant Markets and Healthy Communities
includes Farm2WIC information, Resources, and Tips for Success for market and local WIC agency staff. There's also a new research report from Occidental College's Urban & Environmental Policy Institute,
Promoting Farmers' Markets in Los Angeles
, with helpful insights from market vendors, managers, and customers. ACTION:Watch for a copy of the Toolkit (soon to be mailed to all California WIC agencies) or download it online and select the strategies that work for your situation. Be sure to promote FMNP and FVC redemption at your local farmers' markets this season. Questions? Contact
Margaret at CWA
or the
State WIC Farmers' Market Team
.
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Read. Love. Repeat.
KPJR Films, producers of the movie
Resilience
screened at the recent CWA Annual Conference, is thinking about creating a Book Club. This would be a chance to discover what's new and suggest not-to-be-missed reads by authors igniting the movement for trauma-informed practices and awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Every quarter, KPJR would recommend a new trauma-informed book you'll love, narrowed down from hundreds of new releases (so you don't have to). They would then curate a "Talk Back" virtual event with the author or subject, including a webinar, Facebook LIVE conversation or a national dial-in. ACTION: If you'd like to stay informed on developments for the KPJR Films Book Club, please
take this survey
.
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Work Requirements for Medicaid Blocked in KY
A federal judge on Friday blocked Kentucky's closely watched
plan
to require many
Medicaid recipients to work
, volunteer or train for a job as a condition of coverage, saying that the Trump administration's approval of the plan had been "arbitrary and capricious" because it had not adequately considered whether the plan would help the state furnish medical assistance to its citizens, a central objective of Medicaid. The ruling in the Kentucky case is the first on this issue, but three other states have already gotten permission from the Trump administration to impose work requirements, and seven more have asked for clearance to do so, so it is likely that this issue will continue to be heard in court.
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Heat-Stable Oxytocin Alternative Developed
About 1 in 6 women experience postpartum hemorrhage;
without help, a new mother is at risk of losing too much blood
. Here in the U.S., doctors and midwives give women the hormone oxytocin to help the uterus squeeze tighter and stop the bleeding, often intravenously but also via a shot. But oxytocin isn't an option in many places - not because it's not available but because it must kept cool. Now the World Health Organization says that a
shelf-stable oxytocin-like medication
called carbetocin has been developed. In a study of 30,000 women, carbetocin was just as effective as oxytocin, and experts say it has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives each year.
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ACEs and Pregnancy Outcomes
A study gathering prospective data
on pregnancy outcomes and adverse childhood experiences
(ACEs) finds that ACEs themselves may result in adverse birth outcomes; that the health behaviors of people who have experienced ACEs are implicated in poor pregnancy outcomes, and/or that ACEs result for some in adverse birth outcomes mediated by psychiatric disorders and prenatal smoking. The study found that ACEs which occurred in a woman's life prior to the age of 18, seem to have a long-lasting impact on reproductive health, resulting in reduced birth weight and gestational age. In particular, it appeared that ACEs impact on birth outcomes explained nearly all of the estimated effects, suggesting that there may be minimal impact of other factors not examined. Of the women studied, smoking was the main mechanism through which ACEs in the mother affect birth outcomes.
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CDC Report on Fruits and Veggies
Last month the CDC released the
2018 State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables
. This report highlights approaches to increase the purchase, supply, and demand of fruits and vegetables in states and communities across the United States. Key findings include: 10 states adopted a policy on food service guidelines that ensures that healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables, are sold or served on state-owned or state-controlled property; 47 states adopted a farm to school or farm to early care and education policy that can increase access to fruits and vegetables; 32 states have active state-level food policy councils-cross-sector organizations that work to improve the food system. Public health practitioners and decision-makers can use this report to assess how their states are doing and identify strategies they can put in place to improve access to fruits and vegetables in their communities.
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ACOG Recommendations on Immunizations During Pregnancy
ACOG has released recommendations on vaccinations during pregnancy, stating that
immunization is an essential part of care for adults
, including pregnant women. OBGYNs and other providers who see expecting families should routinely assess their pregnant patients' vaccination status, and recommend and, when possible, administer needed vaccines to their pregnant patients. There is no evidence of adverse fetal effects from vaccinating pregnant women with inactivated virus, bacterial vaccines, or toxoids, and a growing body of data demonstrate the safety of such use. Women who are or will be pregnant during influenza season should receive an annual influenza vaccine. All pregnant women should receive a tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and
acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine
during each pregnancy, as early in the 27-36-weeks-of-gestation window as possible.
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Preterm Birth Data Brief
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a brief, "
Describing the Increase in Preterm Births in the United States, 2014-2016
," showing an increase in preterm births in the United States - from 9.57% to 9.85% between 2014 and 2016. The increase is largely comprised of an increase among late preterm births (34-36 weeks). Preterm birth rates increased in 23 states and the District of Columbia during 2014-2016.
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Military Parental Leave Guidance
The Department Of Defense has released
Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 1327.06
, which defines the new Military Parental Leave Program (MPLP), in accordance with the instructions from the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017
. The program outlines three forms of non-chargeable leave following a qualifying birth event or adoption: maternity convalescent leave, primary caregiver leave and secondary caregiver leave. Maternity convalescent leave is now six weeks, primary caregiver leave is six weeks, and secondary caregiver leave is three weeks.
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