House Passes Infrastructure, Takes Steps Toward Build Back Better
Last Friday, the House passed the $1.2 trillion, bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including critical investments in infrastructure, clean water, and rural broadband. The bill will now move to President Biden’s desk for signature into law. Last week, the House approved a procedural motion to advance the Build Back Better Act, a $1.75 trillion spending package which includes crucial investments in child nutrition, maternal health, and family income security.
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NWA Launches WIC Action Network |
NWA will launch the WIC Action Network this Friday, which will regularly convene frontline WIC providers, community health partners, and grassroots advocates to build awareness, skills, and capacity to educate policymakers. The Network will be an opportunity to hear policy updates from NWA staff, connect with colleagues and partners from across the country, and provide a routine forum to ask questions and get engaged. Join the inaugural WIC Action Network Briefing on November 12 from 12 pm - 2 pm ET. If you have additional questions, please reach out to NWA’s State Public Policy Manager, Noora Kanfash, at nkanfash@nwica.org.
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Senate Holds Hearing on State of Nutrition in U.S. |
Last Tuesday, Senator Cory Booker, Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, convened a hearing on the state of nutrition. Key nutrition researchers highlighted the need to advance nutrition security through a racial equity lens and the opportunity to leverage the federal nutrition programs, including WIC, as a measure to support these efforts. This hearing came after the introduction of a bipartisan bill to assemble a second White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health. The first White House conference, held in 1969, spurred a generation of advocacy and innovation to improve health outcomes and resulted in WIC’s establishment. NWA fully supports the effort to establish a second White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger and Health. |
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Bipartisan Majority of Voters Support WIC
National WIC Association and Alliance to End Hunger released results from an independent nationwide poll that revealed strong, bipartisan support for increased WIC investments. This is the first nationwide poll on WIC since 2012. The poll confirmed 83% support for the WIC program, with approximately three-quarters of likely voters supporting major WIC reforms – including expanding the value of the WIC food package, extending postpartum eligibility, and permitting remote WIC services.
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Read the newest CWA WIC Watch Magazine!
Our latest issue of the WIC Watch - CWA's bi-annual magazine about all things WIC - was published this morning! Inside you will find policy updates, local agency news, research and policy briefs, WIC workforce developments and wellness innovations. Do you have a story that you want to share in the next WIC Watch? Send it to Sarah!
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WIC Wellness Wednesdays!
CWA is currently hosting a Well WIC Worksite Fitness Challenge for the month of November. There are 10 teams participating from around the state and each week is a different exercise competition with a great prize each week. The first week was all about squats. Over 31 WIC staff did a collective 12,502 squats over five days! If you see some folx hobbling around town, it might be a team member from this challenge with some sore glutes! Our team winner for week one was the Delta Health Care SWELL Team with 5,029 squats and an average of 838 squats per person! Congrats SWELL Team! Winning teams get a stocked healthy snacks shop for their office. If you still want to sign up to compete for Push-up Week and Plank Week (we are currently in the middle of Wall Sit Week), sign up here or email Jodi with any questions at jmulliganpfile@calwic.org.
Please join us tomorrow, 11/10, 12:00-12:45 PM, for Portable Peace Practices Session Four: Tai Chi for Pain and Inflammation. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the other three sessions, you can jump in at any time. We also record each session for later viewing. One of the most cited benefits of tai chi in the scientific literature is for pain and inflammation. Simple movements will be shared which can be integrated with a daily practice, which research supports may benefit a variety of conditions associated with pain and inflammation. Register here.
Also, on Wednesday 12/01/2021, from 12:30 - 1:00 PM, Rachel Van Cott will lead us in a beautiful and relaxing Yoga Nidra Guided Meditation for stress reduction. This is a short but powerful guided medication that includes a gentle breathing practice to help us reduce stress and restore inner balance. Register here.
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COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Low Among Pregnant People Despite Elevated Risk |
Pregnant people who contract COVID-19 have a two-fold risk of admission into intensive care, a 70 percent increased risk of death, and an elevated risk of preterm birth and stillbirth, according to the CDC, but as of Oct. 30, only 1 in 4 pregnant women have been vaccinated, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among expectant Black women, the rate is 16 percent, up from 11 percent in August.
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Vaccinated Moms Delay Weaning Kids To Give COVID Antibodies |
Lactating parents in California who are vaccinated for COVID-19 have kept nursing beyond the six-months-to-one-year recommendation out of determination — and fear — that human milk is the best protection they can offer their smallest children until a vaccine is available for them. Researchers found in a study published this month in Pediatrics, the journal from the American Academy of Pediatrics, that COVID-19 antibody concentrations were “significantly higher” in the milk of mothers who were breastfeeding 24 months or more compared with mothers with shorter breastfeeding periods.
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Mortality Rates Significantly Increased Among Pregnant Women From 2015 to 2019 |
Mortality rates due to all causes and drug or alcohol poisoning significantly increased among recently pregnant women in the U.S. from 2015 to 2019, according to findings published in JAMA.
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Breastmilk of Marijuana Users |
Researchers compared early preterm infants who were fed breast milk from THC-positive mothers to those who were fed either formula or breast milk from THC-negative mothers and found no differences in short-term health impacts such as breathing difficulties, lung development, and feeding issues. Long-term effects are still unknown, and other factors such as prenatal care all contribute to health outcomes.
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Sex-Specific Microbiome Links to Infant Behavior |
A new study has found a direct and sex-specific association between the composition of infant microbiome and early childhood behavioral health.
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Navigating Harmful Talk About Dieting During the Holidays |
The holiday season means holiday gatherings. Gatherings and eating holiday foods together often leads to talk about the effect on our waistlines. For people with a fraught relationship with food and their bodies, these conversations can be stressful, draining and sometimes toxic. Here are some tips to navigate those conversations.
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Oral Health
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that parents/caretakers should be encouraged to establish a dental home for infants by 12 months of age. A check-up every six months is recommended in order prevent cavities and other dental problems, but a pediatric dentist can tell when and how often a infant or child should visit based on their personal oral health.
Good news: WIC Can Help promote oral health for families by referring them to low-cost or free services.
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Support CWA online!
As a nonprofit membership organization, CWA relies on the contributions of many organizations and individuals to help us achieve our mission. There are many ways to give of your time, talents, or resources to help CWA promote healthy families, strong communities, and bright futures! We appreciate all forms of support and invite you to join us!
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California WIC Association www.calwic.org
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