CWA Flash Newsletter - January 26, 2021 |
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Presidential Inauguration |
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States last Wednesday, in a ceremony that went smoothly despite fears of violence and disruption following the rioting and insurrection that took place on January 6th. President Biden urged unity in his inaugural address, and got quickly to work, signing executive orders in his first days that addressed immigration, climate change, COVID-19, and racial inequities. Just before President Biden’s swearing-in, Kamala Harris was sworn in, making history as the first woman and person of color to become vice president. A highlight of the ceremony was poet Amanda Gorman, from Los Angeles, who shared, “The Hill We Climb”.
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Biden-Harris Administration Recognizes WIC |
The critical work of WIC was recognized in the new Administration’s COVID relief American Rescue Plan with a proposed 3 billion multi-year investment for outreach and to support the influx of WIC participants with healthy foods. Among other proposed investments to address food insecurity is a 15% boost to SNAP P-EBT pandemic benefits, and reviews of SNAP benefits for the lowest income individuals and of the Thrifty Food Package, the cost basis for SNAP. Getting the COVID package and other bills through Congress, and having a productive first 100 days, will be difficult, as Dems and Reps, especially in the Senate, work out procedural options, to their advantage.
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CA's New Eviction Protection Plan |
California renters may be protected from eviction until July by a proposal announced yesterday by Gov. Newsom and Democrat legislators. The extension would be part of the state’s 2021-2022 budget plan, (SB 91) which is normally passed in June, but certain key priorities were tagged by Gov. Newsom to be expedited this month. The current moratorium was set to expire Feb. 1. The new proposal also establishes a rent subsidy program using $2.6 billion in federal aid to help renters and landlords pay down an accruing wall of debt. Some important tenant concerns are not covered in the bill and Housing Now CA is urging advocates to understand the bill and reach out to their members. They provide an updated email blast that provides information about key aspects of SB 91.
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CA Ends Statewide Stay Home Order |
Officials with CDPH yesterday ended the Regional Stay at Home Order, lifting the order for all regions statewide. Four-week ICU capacity projections for all regions are above 15%, the threshold that allows regions to exit the order. All CA Counties now return to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and color-coded tiers that indicate which activities and businesses are open based on local case rates and test positivity. Nearly all CA counties remain in the purple, most restrictive, tier.
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NWA Policy Conference Coming Up! |
NWA will host their virtual National Policy Conference Tuesday, February 16th through Friday, February 19th, 2021. This conference is an annual forum to highlight emergent and pressing WIC policy issues, promising practices in administer WIC services, and leadership skills to empower and sustain WIC advocacy at the local level. The conference features NWA’s Annual Capitol Hill Education Day on February 19, affording WIC stakeholders the opportunity to engage with members of Congress and their staff on the state of WIC services. If you have any questions about the Annual Capitol Hill Education Day – or the conference itself – please reach out to Noora Kanfash at nkanfash@nwica.org, and if you’re interested in joining California WIC meetings with your member of Congress, let Sarah know at sdiaz@calwic.org.
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WIC Watch - Submit Your WIC Story! |
Lots of great work is going on in the local agencies. New ways to provide services are are becoming established and well-received by participants, WIC staff are learning how to support their coworkers in a whole new way. You see incredible examples of resilience and compassion. You or your colleagues are putting it all out there to stay healthy. Let's hear from you. We need our agency's stories! We are working on the next WIC Watch magazine for publication at the spring conference. Please contact Sarah by March 5th to send in your article or story.
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Addressing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in WIC |
NWA is leading a national project, the AHEAD project, to systematically build capacity within the WIC community to incorporate a health equity framework into WIC research, policy, and practice. As part of the project, NWA is working with the Nutrition, Obesity, and Health Equity Research Laboratory (NOHE) at the University of Illinois at Chicago to conduct a landscape scan of promising practices at the WIC state and local levels related to equitable, diverse, and inclusive practices being implemented across the country. Your help is needed to identify promising health equity practices, and training and resource needs, to support implementation and dissemination of those practices.
This survey is not a test. You and your agency will not be judged or scored based on your survey responses. The survey is confidential. Individual responses will not be shared in written documents or reports without your permission. It takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Respondents who wish to complete the survey in multiple sessions will need to access the survey on the same device each time.
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Shortened Hospital Stays for Childbirth - No Worse Outcomes |
During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals across the United States implemented measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in labor and delivery units. These measures have led to shorter hospitalizations for labor and delivery, researchers at Cedars-Sinai found, but these shortened hospitalizations have not increased the rate of adverse outcomes in birthing parents or infants.
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Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccine Access |
Black Americans are receiving covid vaccinations at dramatically lower rates than white Americans in the first weeks of the chaotic rollout, according to a new Kaiser Health News analysis. About 3% of Americans have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine so far, but in 16 states that have released data by race, white residents are being vaccinated rates sometimes two to three times higher. Access issues and mistrust rooted in structural racism appear to be the major factors leaving Black health care workers behind in the quest to vaccinate the nation.
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2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines |
USDA released the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans in December. Historically, the guidelines focused on adults and children over two years old. However, this year the scientific advisory committee reviewed and made recommendations for a new subset of the population – infants and children under two, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. Among the new recommendations for infants, children and nursing parents: babies should be fed infant-safe potentially allergenic foods when other complementary foods begin at around 6 months of age but not before four months to help reduce the risk of food allergies; breastfeeding people should also eat a diverse diet and seafood as they did during pregnancy; exclusive breastfeeding for about the first six months and continuing through the first year, as desired by mother and baby and alongside complementary foods, is recommended; sugar consumption should be reduced across the board and is not recommended at all for children under two years of age – in particular, sugar-sweetened beverages should be avoided in children under 2 years of age. Check here for the full report and executive summary, consumer materials and infographics.
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Covered CA Open Enrollment Available Now! |
Because of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, Covered California extended its Open Enrollment period until January 31, 2021. Between now and the January 31st deadline, CA residents are able to enroll or make changes to a Covered California plan as needed. During Open Enrollment, depending on their circumstances, CA residents may:
- Buy a plan through Covered California. You may want to buy a plan through the marketplace if you qualify for a tax credit to help offset your premiums. Qualifying usually depends on your income and household size. Your total household income must be between 128% and 600% of the federal poverty level, or FPL.
- Renew or change your current plan. During the open enrollment period, you can renew your existing plan. You won't have to do anything if you want to keep what you have. But if your current plan is changing - for instance, your PCP is leaving the network, or your drugs aren't in the list of covered medications - then you may want to switch to a plan that best suits your current needs. If you need to change policies, the open enrollment period is the best time.
- Enroll in Medi-Cal. If your income is below 128% of the Federal Poverty Level, you qualify for Medi-Cal, which is Medicaid for Californians.
About 90% of people who apply will get financial assistance. Even if you've checked before, check again, because more than a million people could see more savings. The Covered California website allows people to shop around for the right health plan for them and their family. You can also call toll-free 800-300-1506
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Linking Up WIC Local Agencies |
Data sharing between WIC and other programs supports retention, re-engagement and recruitment, is an equity issue, and is part of emergency preparedness such as during the pandemic or climate disasters. WIC local agencies experience challenges matching data yet data matching effectively identifies large numbers of adjunctively eligible families who are not participating in WIC. Check out this recent report on data matching, outreach and engagement strategies between WIC, Medicaid and SNAP. Thanks to Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Benefits Data Trust for providing a presentation on this at the CWA Fall Education Days.
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V-safe After Vaccination App |
To follow up on those who received a COVID-19 vaccination and provide updates, individuals are provided the V-safe Health Checker app, a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins. Through v-safe, side effects can quickly be reported to the CDC. This information helps the CDC monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in near real time. CDC staff may also call to check on individuals and get more information depending on what is reported. Register for v-safe here.
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Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) Survey Closing Soon |
The Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) survey, from the CDC, will close on Feb. 26. For hospitals to receive an individualized Hospital Report and be included in state and national level reports, hospitals must submit their survey. Fewer than 50% of mPINC surveys have been submitted, including for California, understandable during the pandemic. These data help us all understand the progress and challenges hospitals may face in providing maternity care practices supportive of breastfeeding. If you have a connection with your hospital, consider reaching out to them about their survey. For questions, visit the CDC mPINC website or email mPINC@cdc.gov.
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The COVID-19 vaccine can't come soon enough, and most of us have spent the last year distancing ourselves from family and friends. So how soon after vaccination can you get together? Here is some guidance from experts!
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California WIC Association | www.calwic.org
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