PART ONE
Source: RLS Media
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) released the 2022-2027 New Jersey Breastfeeding Strategic Plan (BFSP) also includes supporting the first human milk banks in NJ, which will provide pasteurized donor milk to patients in need of breastfeeding support, as needed, including those whose babies are in the NICU. Regulations to effectuate the milk bank law are currently under development.
White women report the highest rates of breastfeeding exclusivity during birth hospitalization, while Black and Hispanic women have the lowest rates. Reducing racial and ethnic disparities in breastfeeding and building a stronger public health infrastructure to coordinate policy to promote and support breastfeeding is imperative in contributing to equitable health outcomes. Collaborative and coordinated efforts across all sectors, including government, business, healthcare, insurance, education, and community organizations, are essential to supporting breastfeeding and breast milk feeding to ensure optimal public health outcomes.
“Encouraging breastfeeding and closing the breastfeeding disparity gap starts with viewing our efforts through an equity lens,” said DCF Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer. “We need to identify barriers to equitable access for breastfeeding supports for families of color, and we need to look at far-reaching strategies across all sectors to improve the rate of breastfeeding in New Jersey, including engaging licensed child care centers as partners in supporting working moms to breastfeed their babies.”
The plan sets a series of goals, including:
- Provide families with the support they need to breastfeed their babies.
- Ensure that maternity practices fully support breastfeeding and lactation and are free of bias.
- Ensure that employers and childcare providers accommodate lactation.
- Strengthen existing capacity and develop future capacity for conducting research and surveillance on breastfeeding and lactation.
- Increase state infrastructure and policymaking in support of lactation.
- Improve and institutionalize emergency preparedness measures for pregnant and breastfeeding persons that ensure access to breastfeeding support and services during public health crises and emergencies.
- Strengthen maternal and child health social services among communities with the highest risk of poor health outcomes associated with public health crises.
- Support, protect, and promote breastfeeding as the biological norm and optimal way to feed infants during global health pandemics and public health crises.
Over half of the year, one action items have been accomplished, and more are underway. Most of these focus on eliminating systemic barriers in lactation support to reduce racial and ethnic disparities and strengthening maternal and child health social services among communities with higher risk and poor health outcomes associated with public health crises.