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Adopt and present a resolution recognizing August 2026 as National Breastfeeding Month in Solano County (Chair Brown)
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No __X_
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No __X_
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Health and Social Services recommends that the Board of Supervisors adopt and present a resolution recognizing August 2026 as National Breastfeeding Month in Solano County.
SUMMARY:
The Department of Health & Social Services (H&SS) joins the California Department of Public Health and United States Breastfeeding Committee in recognizing the month of August as National Breastfeeding Month. In addition, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action recognizes World Breastfeeding Week from August 1-7, 2026. H&SS Public Health will join community partners, including the Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County, in conducting outreach and providing breastfeeding support throughout Solano County in August.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The costs associated with planned National Breastfeeding Month activities are included in the Department's FY2026/27 Working Budget. The costs to purchase and prepare the resolution materials are included in the Board’s FY2026/27 Working Budget.
DISCUSSION:
National Breastfeeding Month 2026 celebrates the theme “RISE: Resilience, Interdependence, Self-Determination, Empowerment” with four key areas of focus, one for each week of the month. Week one of World Breastfeeding Week, from August 1-7, celebrates the theme, “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works.” The national celebration continues with weekly cultural observances: Indigenous Milk Medicine Week from August 8-14; Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Week from August 15-21; and Black Breastfeeding Week from August 25-31. These targeted efforts focus on communities disproportionately impacted by lower breastfeeding rates.
The purpose of celebrating National Breastfeeding Month is to bring awareness to the importance of supporting and protecting breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding or breastmilk feeding is a cornerstone of child health providing essential, irreplaceable nutrition for a child’s growth and development. It contains many substances that support the baby’s immune system, including disease-fighting antibodies, immune factors, enzymes, and white blood cells, all essential components for building a resilient and thriving child.
The Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County, established in 1997, provides breastfeeding education to the community and a venue for networking and coordination of perinatal services. The Breastfeeding Coalition recognizes that breastfeeding plays a role in the human life cycle in many ways and that community collaboration and support for families are key to a successful breastfeeding journey.
In 2022, the Breastfeeding Coalition, in partnership with H&SS, Public Health Division, Mother’s Milk Bank California, and First 5 Solano, opened the first human milk collection center in Solano County. The center collects breast milk from mothers with additional milk supply who would like to donate to babies in need. The Solano County collection center is one of two physical drop-off locations in Northern California. The Solano County collection center is located at Solano Public Health, Nutrition Services Bureau, at 2101 Courage Drive in Fairfield, and is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Milk donations received are shipped to the Mother’s Milk Bank of California, where the mild is pasteurized and tested. The center provides families with a way to donate breast milk, helping ensure that vulnerable infant, particularly those receiving care in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), have access to this vital resource. Since last August, the collection center has received 2,582 ounces of donated breast milk, more than tripling the amount collected during the previous year.
The Solano County Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program also provides breastfeeding support and resources to families. In 2025, an average of 59.4% of WIC infants were breastfeeding at any given time, compared to 56.9% in 2024. Additionally, staff continue to work towards the Healthy People 2030 goal of 42.4% exclusively breastfeeding at six months old. In 2025, 30.9% of WIC infants were exclusively breastfed through six months of age. All WIC staff who provide nutrition education and counseling are trained through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) breastfeeding curriculum and provide evidence-based education and support, including guidance for mothers preparing to return to work or school. Building on these efforts, WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors are available after hours and on weekends to provide support and guidance to WIC participants who need extra support. Last year, the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program initiated Breastfeeding Support Groups, offering families a welcoming space to share experiences, connect with a lactation consultant, build community, and access valuable breastfeeding education and resources.
On August 6, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County will host its ninth annual National Breastfeeding Month celebration in the H&SS Multipurpose room at 2101 Courage Drive in Fairfield. The event will celebrate and promote breastfeeding, and in collaboration with the Mother’s Milk Bank of California, will offer a donor milk drive. Attendees will have the opportunity to be pre-screened for milk donations or, if already approved, to drop off their donations. Additionally, information will be available on the process and impact of donating human milk. The milk drive will kick off activities that will continue throughout the month to raise awareness of human milk's benefits and enhance milk donation accessibility for the community.
In recognition of National Breastfeeding Month, H&SS’s Solano Public Health and Nutrition Services Bureau will partner with Nurse-Family Partnership, First 5 Solano, the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program, Help Me Grow Solano, and other community partners to promote breastfeeding education and awareness. Collaborative efforts will include coordinated social media outreach, educational messaging, and resource sharing to increase awareness of breastfeeding support services in Solano County.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board may choose not to adopt the resolution. This is not recommended, as breastfeeding is a natural, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly way to promote infant and mother health and bonding.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
H&SS worked with the Solano County Women, Infants, and Children Program, the Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County, First 5 Solano, and other agencies on activities related to National Breastfeeding Month in August 2026.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION