CWA Flash Newsletter - October 13, 2020 |
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Supreme Court Upholds Stop to Census Count |
A Supreme Court ruling today supports the Trump Administration’s request to halt the Census count extended to the end of October due to the pandemic, on the basis that census staff needed to have a Congressionally mandated count by Dec. 31 for Congressional apportionment. Much is at risk, including an accurate count of minority and hard to reach populations, including undocumented individuals. Local governments risk loss of federal funding for programming, schools, infrastructure and more, with inaccurate census counts.
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WIC Watch Magazine - Summer Edition Available |
There is a lot to report these days. A lot is not good news, but when it comes to California WIC, there great stories. WIC agencies are not only standing up to a myriad of challenges and doing outstanding work, they are also modernizing the program, getting advanced degrees, taking care of breastfeeding families, informing decisionmakers and more. Check out the latest edition of the WIC Watch magazine and enjoy some good reads!
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This is a time of year when we think about the harvest and healthy foods. Have you checked the CWA Events Page and taken advantage of the recent webinars on baby led self-feeding, with Katie Ferraro or responsive feeding Using Baby Behaviors with Dr. Jane Heinig provided in partnership with the CA Breastfeeding Coalition and CA Dept. of Public Health. Have you learned about community partnerships to improve access to fresh produce at retail, farmers’ markets and in health care? Improving both access to fruits and vegetables and boosting pregnant people’s food budgets can be done through partnerships as San Francisco WIC and partners have shown. Watch on demand and get CE Units!
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Parental Touch Reduces Pain Response for Newborns |
Skin-to-skin contact with a parent reduces newborns’ pain response, according to a report in the European Journal of Pain. Researchers measured the response of 27 infants to a painful but clinically required heel prick test. The babies were either held by their mother skin-to-skin (wearing a diaper, against their mother’s chest), or held by their mother with clothing, or else lying in a cot or incubator. The researchers found that the initial brain response to the pain was the same, but as the heel lance elicited a series of four to five waves of brain activity, the later waves of activity were impacted by whether the baby was held skin-to-skin or with clothing.
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Low Levels of Alcohol Use During Pregnancy Can Impact Child Development |
The AAP has said for several years that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and now research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry finds that even low levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have an impact on a child's brain development and is associated with greater psychological and behavioural problems in youth including anxiety, depression and poor attention.
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Pregnancy Complications Linked to Risk of Heart Disese, Breastfeeding Reduces Risk |
Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and pre-term birth are linked to a heightened risk of heart disease in later life, suggests a recent overarching (umbrella) analysis of data published by The BMJ. Several other factors related to fertility and pregnancy also seem to be associated with subsequent cardiovascular disease, say the researchers, including starting periods early, use of combined oral contraceptives, polycystic ovary syndrome, and early menopause. However, a longer length of breastfeeding was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The study points out an opportunity to link CVD and reproductive health in patient care.
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Pandemic Hitting Women Hard Economically |
Employment opportunities for women might have helped pull us out of the Recession, but the numbers are not adding up that way now for the impact due to COVID. Economists are describing not only greater losses for women, but specifically for Black and Hispanic women hit harder by unemployment. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell noted that women, including women of color, are experiencing greater losses as they address COVID related child care needs and other unequal challenges. Policies such as paid family leave could address some of those gaps. Foreboding forecasts describe years of lost progress in promotions and income that could felt for a generation.
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The Safe to Sleep Campaign from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has released a digital toolkit for SIDS Awareness Month 2020. The #SafeSleepSnap activity encourages safe infant sleep advocates and infant caregivers to come together on social media to share safe infant sleep images and messages, help normalize safe sleep practices, and celebrate the role that all caregivers have in keeping baby safe during every sleep.
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Report on WIC Role in Reducing Maternal Mortality
The National WIC Association released a report titled "The Role of WIC in Reducing Maternal Mortality." NWA’s Maternal Mortality Task Force created the report to consider ways in which maternal mortality is addressed and discussed with program participants throughout the WIC appointment, as well as explore opportunities for additional focus on the topic. The report highlights current strategies and promising suggestions for tackling maternal mortality in WIC at the local, state, and federal levels, including through breastfeeding support and education. In addition, NWA published a position paper with 12 recommendations for addressing maternal mortality in WIC. We recognize and thank Dr. Tonce Jackson, PHFE WIC, the Chair of the Task Force as well as all of the members for this important work.
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The Case for Paid Family Leave
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2020 State of Obesity Report
Trust for America's Health has published the 17th annual "State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America" report. The report is based in part on newly released data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and analysis by TFAH to provide an annual snapshot of obesity rates nationwide. The authors found that the U.S. adult obesity rate stands at 42.4%, the first time the national rate has passed the 40% mark. The report highlights the role that breastfeeding programs can have in addressing obesity, including the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, and programs through the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant.
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Why Soda Taxes Can Address Pandemics & Direct Public Dollars to Equity
If you missed the webinar provided by UC Center, Sacramento, you can still view the materials presented by Dr. Kristine Madsen, UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and the Faculty Director for the Berkeley Food Institute. The video and PowerPoint presentation are available here.
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Wellness Reset
The wellness leaders at the CWA virtual conference were outstanding – Beverly Kyers provided workshops on compassion fatigue, secondary trauma and self-care. She offers a YouTube resource on her Wellness Reset channel especially for social service and care providers, and recently had Bryan Post join her to talk about Parenting in the era of COVID-19. Bryan Post is one of the foremost child behavior exports and founder of the Post Institute for Family-Centered Therapy.
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California WIC Association | www.calwic.org
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