Isadora Hare, MSW, LCSW and Tiffany Pertillar, Social Work Intern, Office of Women's Health, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) will soon be launching a Resource Kit focused on encouraging employers to establish, maintain and expand programs enabling their breastfeeding employees to continue breastfeeding their infants when they return to work. The Resource Kit, The Business Case for Breastfeeding, is a comprehensive product, with separate sections geared to business managers, human resource managers, employees, breastfeeding advocates and others who are able to reach out to small, medium and even large businesses in their communities and states. It also provides templates of letters, flyers and posters that can be used in this effort. The National Business Group on Health, whose members are Fortune 500 companies, will also participate in the initiative.
With the partnership and support of the Office of Women’s Health, DHHS, MCHB is offering training sessions on the implementation of the Resource Kit for state breastfeeding coalitions and Healthy Start sites over the course of the next three years. The first of these trainings was held in Arlington, Va. from Jan. 25-26, 2008 in conjunction with the National Conference of State Breastfeeding Coalitions sponsored by the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. For more information, please contact Isadora Hare.