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Adopt and present a resolution recognizing August 2024 as National Breastfeeding Month in Solano County (Supervisor 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 2024 as National Breastfeeding Month in Solano County.
SUMMARY:
The Department of Health and Social Services (H&SS) joins the California Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United States Breastfeeding Committee in recognizing the month of August as National Breastfeeding Month, as well as the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action in recognizing World Breastfeeding Week of August 1-7, 2024. H&SS Public Health will join community partners, including the Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County, in conducting outreach and education events in Solano County in the month of August. Solano Public Health will also be issuing public educational announcements about the importance of breastfeeding for mothers and infants, including new mothers re-entering the workforce.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The costs associated with planned National Breastfeeding Month activities are included in the Department’s FY2024/25 Working Budget. The costs to purchase and prepare the resolution materials are included in the Board’s FY2024/25 Working Budget.
DISCUSSION:
National Breastfeeding Month 2024 celebrates the theme of “Nourish, Sustain, Thrive” with four key areas of focus, one for each week of the month. Week one observes World Breastfeeding Week from August 1-7, 2024, with the theme of “Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All.” The United States continues the celebration with week two designated as Indigenous Milk Medicine Week, week three as Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week, and week four as Black Breastfeeding Week. Efforts will focus on communities who are 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 because it provides 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 to developing a resilient and thriving child.
The Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County provides breastfeeding education to the community and a venue for networking and coordinating 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 is critical to having a successful breastfeeding journey.
During National Breastfeeding Month in 2022, H&SS, Public Health Division, in partnership with the San Jose Mother’s Milk Bank, First 5 Solano and the Breastfeeding Coalition, 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 Northern California's only physical drop-off location. The Solano County collection center is located at Solano Public Health, Nutrition Services Bureau at 2101 Courage Drive in Fairfield and is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Milk donations received are shipped to the Mother’s Milk Bank of San Jose where staff pasteurize and test the milk. This is a resource for families to be able to donate breast milk and ensure that it is administered to vulnerable infants, especially those in neonatal intensive care units. This year, the collection center had its first audit with no findings and was awarded a certificate of appreciation for receiving 193 ounces of donated milk in 2023.
The Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County, in conjunction with the Black Infant Health program, will commemorate National Breastfeeding Month by sending out weekly social media posts containing breastfeeding education and resources throughout the month of August. Also, the Breastfeeding Coalition will sponsor three events: Milk at the Market at the Fairfield, Vacaville, and Vallejo Farmers’ Markets, where they will have games, giveaways, and lots of breastfeeding education and resources for patrons of the market. On August 8th, the Coalition will host the seventh annual Donor Milk Drive in the Multipurpose room at 2101 Courage Drive in Fairfield.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board may choose not to adopt and present this resolution. This is not recommended, as breastfeeding is a natural, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly way to promote infant and maternal health and bonding.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
H&SS worked with the Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County, First 5 Solano, and other agencies on activities related to National Breastfeeding Month for August 2024.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION