Reports, Resources, and Opportunities from our Health Coalitions - Monday, May 07, 2012
A digest of recent child and maternal health reports, resources, and opportunities can be found below. For a digest of news articles on health issues, visit our Health News Round-up.
Texas Infant Health Alliance
RESOURCES and REPORTS
OPPORTUNITIES to ACT
Contact Congress about the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2011:
The National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition and the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee are urging supporters to contact their Members of Congress to ask them to expand working mothers' right to breastfeed. The Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2011 includes two provisions that would protect and expand working mothers' right to breastfeed by 1) amending civil rights law to protect breastfeeding mothers from being fired or discriminated against in the workplace; and 2) extending the existing federal provision to ensure that an additional 13.5 million executive, administrative, and professional employees, including elementary and secondary school teachers, have break time and a private place to pump in the workplace. For more information, or to send an email to ask your Representative and Senators to co-sponsor the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2011, click here.
OPPORTUNITY to LEARN
NEW RESEARCH: Fewer Hospitals Found to Distribute Free Formula:
New research published in the journal Pediatrics notes that while most hospitals across the country continue to distribute free formula to families of newborns, a practice found to lower breastfeeding rates, the trend is toward fewer hospitals engaging in the practice. To read the journal article abstract, click here. You can also see a report on the subject from TIME magazine.
Getting Started: 10 Fundamentals of Coordinated State Early Care and Education Data Systems. Published by The Early Childhood Data Collaborative, this resource highlights the importance of coordinated state early childhood data systems and data-driven decision making. The article responds to several questions commonly asked by policymakers.
Early Childhood Finance and Policy. The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment has launched their new website aimed at making it easier for advocates, policymakers, educators, and researchers to get the information they need about the early care and education workforce. The website contains reports and policy recommendations.
Delays in the Scheduling of First Prenatal Visit. This study, which appeared in the September edition of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, evaluates office-based delays women face when scheduling their first prenatal visit. The article also gives recommendations for early prenatal health care.
Census Data Release brought expected but sad news about the economic security of Texas children and the impact of the recession. 25.6 % of Texas children live in poverty, which is an increase from 23.1% in 2008. http://www.census.gov/prod/ 2010pubs/p60-238.pdf
MHA Houston Announces the Re-launch of its Bilingual Postpartum Depression Brochure. MHA Houston has announced its plan to re-launch its bilingual postpartum depression brochure titled "Your Emotions After Delivery”. The brochure offers a screening tool for mothers of young babies. For a copy of the brochure, please call (713) 522-5161.
High C-Section Rate May Have Something to do with Impatience. This article, published by the Los Angeles Times, discusses the use of elective c-sections, and the reasons women choose to have them.
March of Dimes Toolkit March of Dimes, the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and the California Department of Health have created theElimination of Non-medically Indicated (Elective) Deliveries Before 39 Weeks Gestational Age toolkit. It provides a literature review regarding elective deliveries before 39 weeks and an implementation guide to assist hospital administrators in eliminating the practice and evaluating impact. The toolkit can be downloaded for free at http://www.marchofdimes.com/files/_39_Weeks_Toolkit.pdf.
First-Ever National Standards for Newborn Screening recommended by Secretary of Health and Human Services' Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children. These standards will guide states in ensuring that their newborn screening programsare using the latest practices and technologies, so that all babies across the country receive the same standard of care in detecting potentially life-threatening but treatable diseases. All 50 states and the District of Columbia currently require that every baby be screened for 26 or more of the now 30 disorders on the uniform panel - but public health advocates continue to urge all states to screen for all 30 disorders.
Rethinking the Definition of a "Term" Pregnancy was published in the July 2010 edition of the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. The commentary argues for refining the definition of a "term" pregnancy. Citing the "growing body of evidence suggesting that significant differences exist in the outcomes of infants delivered within this five-week interval [of 37 to 41 weeks]," the authors call for the use of a subcategory of term births called "early term," from 37 0/7 to 38 6/7 weeks of gestation. They note the growing body of data that births during this "early term" period have increased mortality and neonatal morbidity, compared with neonates born later at term. Authors suggest that the broadest definition of "term" affects clinical decision-making on the management of pregnancy complications, as well as the timing of both elective and indicated deliveries.
What Women Need to Know about Health Reform:
Access to High-Quality Maternity Care was a recent factsheet released by the National Women's Law Center. The fact sheet discusses the different impacts of health reform including how it expands access to maternity care; ensures that preventive care needed during pregnancy is covered at no cost; requires Medicaid to cover smoking cessation services to pregnant enrollees; increases access to a range of maternity care providers; and increases support for new mothers and families, both during and after pregnancy.
