Public health Challenge
In the United States, there are federal laws that state employers must provide breastfeeding support at a worksite and are required to provide a reasonable space and break for milk expression. Additionally, most mothers (60.5%) with a child less than a 1-year-old participant in the workforce. However, there are no laws that address or enforce workplace breastfeeding criteria in Pennsylvania. The pandemic has affected breastfeeding mothers’ decision to stop breastfeeding their child, with 70.3% attributing their decisions to lack of face-to-face breastfeeding support. Among national Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) recipients, infant breastfeeding rates have decreased by 1.7% from 2019 to 2020. In Lebanon and Berks County, the hospital breastfeeding initiation rates are 88.3% and 77.2%, respectively which are higher than the PA-wide breastfeeding initiation of 73.3%. However, across Pennsylvania, the breastfeeding duration at 12 months drops to 31.8%.
Solution
To address the decrease in mothers’ decisions to stop breastfeeding their children, the REACH team helped increase bilingual breastfeeding support at a local health center in Lebanon County. The REACH team strived to promote breastfeeding support after hospital initiation in Berks and Lebanon county by reaching out to workplaces and business establishments to increase awareness of breastfeeding guidelines and create a safe and comfortable environment for their employees and customers.
The REACH team increased access to bilingual breastfeeding support services at the Lebanon Family Health Services by hiring a bilingual community health worker trained to be a WIC peer counselor and providing them with a Zoom platform to hold virtual appointments. This past year, Lucy impacted 350 clients at the Lebanon Family Health Services and led a virtual support group on the first Friday of every month for 15 breastfeeding mothers. Lucy’s video explains her personal story as a client of Lebanon Family Health Services and her journey to becoming a peer counselor.
Breastfeeding initiation may be associated with having hospitals and birthing centers in Lebanon and Berks County that follow the Keystone 10 Initiative, which aims to expand the projection, promotion, and support for breastfeeding. To expand on this initiative in these counties, the REACH team started a Breastfeeding is Welcome Here Campaign. The REACH team reached out to the Northeast Chamber of Commerce to gain support for worksite breastfeeding initiative outreach. Afterward, the team compiled a list of resources to inform businesses about breastfeeding; we reached out to ten local businesses in Berks and Lebanon County to join the campaign by signing a pledge to supply support and comfortable space for breastfeeding employees and customers. To show their support, they received a window cling to show that they are a breastfeeding-friendly establishment for employees and customers.
Sustainable Success
Penn State REACH will continue to support and offer virtual bilingual breastfeeding support in Lebanon Family Health Services. Additionally, we will continue to promote awareness of breastfeeding support at Lebanon Family Health Services. We will advance recognition and access to safe and comfortable breastfeeding environments for working breastfeeding persons by contacting 20 local businesses and worksites in Lebanon and Berks County.
Contact person
Andrea Murray
Email: amurray3@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
Phone: (717) 319-6737
Laurie Crawford
Email: lcrawford4@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
Written by Evelyn Marin
Edited by Laurie Crawford