November 2016 - In This Issue:
Source: United States Breastfeeding Committee
ABOUT US

The BCW newsletter is sent to BCW members and partners every other month. Please feel free to forward our newsletter to other coalition members, groups or individuals. 

QUESTIONS?  

 

Contact the Breastfeeding Promotion Manager:

Alex Sosa at alexs@withinreachwa.org or  206-838-8655

 

For more information about the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington:

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BREASTFEEDING IN
THE MEDIA
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RESEARCH 







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HAPPENINGS   
Next BCW General Meeting: Jan. 26th 


DECEMBER 1-4, 2016
Seattle, WA

JANUARY 25-27, 2017
Garden Grove, CA
 
JANUARY 7-8 & 14-15, 2017
Seattle, WA
 
JANUARY 18, 2017
Seattle, WA

JANUARY 20, 2017
Breastfeeding Equity Webinar
Webinar
 
JANUARY 26, 2017
BCW General Meeting
Webinar
 
FEBRUARY 1-3, 2017
Berkeley, CA
 
FEBRUARY 4-5 & 11-12, 2017
Seattle, WA
 
FEBRUARY 6-10, 2017
Seattle, WA
 
FEBRUARY 15, 2017
Seattle, WA
 
FEBRUARY 17, 2017
Lacey, WA

Greetings!
As we head into the holiday season and think about end-of-year tasks, we have been reflecting on the accomplishments of 2016. The Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington (BCW) has really focused on local coalition building and providing tools and technical support. You can read about the BCW's efforts to reestablish a local coalition in Yakima Valley under the section, Breastfeeding Community Updates. We also share a few upcoming coalition meetings and information on a conference hosted by South Sound Breastfeeding Network in mid-February. We hope to continue supporting local coalitions by sharing updates with the community and providing helpful coalition-building resources. If you would like your coalition's events, meetings, or updates shared in this newsletter, email Chris Gray at christineg@withinreachwa.org.

Another focus in 2016 has been breastfeeding equity. Along with the BCW's wonderful quarterly webinars, the WithinReach Breastfeeding Promotion Program hosted the stakeholder's breakfast,  Building a Breastfeeding Friendly King County: Our Collective Responsibility. The goal of the breakfast was to engage the King County community in support of African American families, and to provide education about breastfeeding and the role it plays in long-term health outcomes. The event on November 4th was a huge success and boasted over 60 attendees from various sectors in King County. For more information about the breakfast, read our blog,  Building a Breastfeeding Friendly King County !

Thank you for your support and we hope that you have a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!

Cheers,
Alex Sosa & Chris Gray
Breastfeeding Community Updates
Yakima Valley Breastfeeding Coalition Update
On September 29th, the BCW hosted a kickoff meeting to reestablish a breastfeeding coalition for Yakima Valley. The meeting had a great turnout and over 25 people committed to join the Yakima Valley Breastfeeding Coalition. If you missed the kickoff meeting and would like to know more, take a look at the meeting minutes.

The next coalition meeting is scheduled for January 12, 2017 from 3:00 to 4:30pm, location TBD
. If you have any questions or feedback regarding the Yakima Valley Breastfeeding Coalition, please contact Stacy Hackenmueller at  StacyH@yvfwc.org. Stacy will be leading the Yakima Valley Breastfeeding Coalition. 


2016 Spirit of Service Award Recipient
This year, Nutrition First hosted the Nancy Danoff, MD, Spirit of Service of Award. The award recognizes and honors an individual  who has significantly contributed to promoting, protecting, and supporting breastfeeding as a vital part of the health and development of children and their families. 
 
On September 30th, Nutrition First presented the Spirit of Service Award at the 6th Annual Advances in Lactation Conference to Stacy Hackenmueller, Coordinator of Special Projects for WIC Nutrition Services at Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic. Over the past 4 years, Stacy has served the Yakima and WIC community as a WIC supervisor and Registered Dietitian. 

Congratulations, Stacy! Thank you for all of your hard work in support of breastfeeding families. You're a breastfeeding champion!
 
 
 
 

Upcoming Wenatchee Coalition Meeting
The Wenatchee Breastfeeding Coalition is back up and running! The coalition most recently met on November 17th. The next meeting will be on Thursday, January 19th at 830am in the Cherry Conference Room :

Columbia Valley Community Health Center
600 Orondo Ave.
Wenatchee, WA 98801  

The coalition will be meeting every 3rd Thursday of every-other month (odd months). If you have any questions, please contact Jody Ceesay at 509-664-3548 or  jceesay@cvch.org. For a listing of other local coalition meeting times, visit the Breastfeeding Coalitions webpage.


South Sound Breastfeeding Network Conference
South Sound Breastfeeding Network presents Improving Lact & Increasing Milk Supply Conference. The event  will take place at St. Martin's University in Lacey, WA on February 17th from 8am to 430pm Dr. Bobby Ghaheri and  Lisa Marasco, MA, IBCLC, FILCA  will be speaking  on how tongue and lip ties can lead to milk supply challenges. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Early Bird Registration Rate of $125 is open until January 13th. The registration rate will go up to $150 after that. South Sound Breastfeeding Network had a large turnout for their past conference and had to turn folks away; please register early to secure your spot!  For more information, take a look at the conference flyer Register online at Brown Paper Tickets
Event #2716974. Contact South Sound Breastfeeding Network at  ssbnwashington@gmail.com if you have any questions!


If you would like to share coalition updates or local breastfeeding events in future newsletters, contact Chris Gray at christineg@withinreachwa.org
Virtual Lactation Program Grant Announcement!
T he MultiCare Virtual Lactation Program has received a grant for low-income families. The  grant helps WIC and low-income mothers access virtual lactation support services at no cost until 2018!  In 2018  Medicaid will begin to pay for virtual lactation visits.
 
Virtual appointments are available Monday through Friday, 8am to 430pm. After-hour appointments may be available on a case-by-case basis. Interpreter services are also available for non-English speaking families.

 Call 253-403-1681 to schedule an appointment.  Read more about Virtual Lactation Support  here
 
If you have any questions, email Malinda Carlile at Malinda.Carlile@multicare.org.
2015 mPINC State Reports Are Now Available
The 2015 mPINC (Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care) survey data is now available! All hospitals with maternity services and all free-standing birth centers in the United States and territories are invited to participate in the mPINC survey. The survey analyzes and collects data on infant feeding care processes, policies, and maternity-care staff. In 2015, 82% of all facilities chose to participate. Here are some interesting and helpful links to check out: 
Visit CDC's "mPINC Score" website page for more information on how scores are calculated.

WITHINREACH BLOG
WithinReach's blog,  Making Connections, is a great way to stay up to date with health and well-being issues in Washington State, as well as the work of WithinReach and its affiliated coalitions. Recent posts include:
Subscribe to Making Connections to stay in the loop!  We would also love to include guest blog posts from our coalition members; please let Alex know if you are interested in writing a post about the work of your coalition or breastfeeding support successes and concerns from your community.



Alex Sosa & Chris Gray

 

Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington

A Program of WithinReach

  

Promoting, protecting & supporting breastfeeding as a vital part
of the health and development of children and families.