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Adopt and present a resolution recognizing August 2025 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 2025 as National Breastfeeding Month in Solano County.
SUMMARY:
The Department of Health and 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, as well as the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action in recognizing World Breastfeeding Week, August 1-7, 2025. H&SS Public Health will join community partners, including the Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County, in conducting outreach in Solano County in the month of August. Solano Public Health will issue 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 FY2025/26 Working Budget. The costs to purchase and prepare the resolution materials are included in the Board’s FY2025/26 Working Budget.
DISCUSSION:
National Breastfeeding Month 2025 celebrates the theme “Forward Together: Breastfeeding for a Healthier Future” with four key areas of focus, one for each week of the month. Week one observes World Breastfeeding Week from August 1-7, 2025, with the theme of “Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems.” The United States continues the celebration with week two designated as Indigenous Milk Medicine Week, week three as Asian American, Native Hawaiian 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, which all support 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 one of two Northern California physical drop-off locations. 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 California (formerly the San Jose Mother’s Milk Bank) 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 received 677 ounces of donated milk.
The Solano County Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program also helps families with breastfeeding support and resources. In 2024, an annual average of more than one in four (25.8%) WIC infants exclusively breastfed through six months of age. Staff continue to work toward the Healthy People 2030 goal of an annual average of 42.4% exclusively breastfed through six months of age. Currently, WIC serves 1,593 infants. To meet the Healthy People 2030 goal, approximately 675 infants would need to be exclusively breastfed.
All WIC staff providing nutrition education and counseling are Certified Lactation Educators (CLE) and offer guidance to breastfeeding mothers on returning to work or school. In addition, WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors are available after hours and on weekends to aid and advise WIC participants who need extra support. The Breastfeeding Peer Counselors hold a combined caseload between Vallejo, Fairfield, and Vacaville of 135 moms and serve participants in both English and Spanish. If required for other languages, interpreter services are arranged. This year, the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program initiated Breastfeeding Support Groups, offering families a welcoming space to share experiences, connect with a lactation consultant, and access valuable breastfeeding education and resources.
On August 7th from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County will host the eighth 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 donation 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 for the remainder of the month to raise awareness about human milk's benefits and enhance accessibility for milk donations to the community.
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 maternal health and bonding.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
H&SS worked with the Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County, First 5 Solano, and other agencies on the activities related to National Breastfeeding Month for August 2025.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION