Protecting, promoting and supporting lactation in California is as diverse as the 39 million people who live here. And yet, when surveying the needs of breastfeeding coalitions across the state, we find most people want the same things:
- Financial assistance to diversify the lactation workforce
- Professional development opportunities to improve quality of service and care for families
- Collaborative partnerships to increase breastfeeding rates
- Resources to support statewide policies and initiatives
Representatives from about 20 local coalitions in California participated in an informal needs assessment facilitated by California Breastfeeding Coalition Executive Director Jasmine Pettis Marquez during the CBC’s quarterly coalitions meeting on Friday.
“As a statewide coalition, we tend to observe opportunities and challenges in the lactation field at a very high level,” Pettis Marquez said. “By surveying our local coalition leaders, we get a better understanding of what is happening throughout the state.”
Pettis Marquez said the assessment further supports the data collected after the 2023 California Breastfeeding Summit.
“Coalitions have high standards for the level of service they want to provide in their communities, but they need support in doing so,” she said. “These insights help the CBC determine its priorities in improving rates of chest, breast and human milk feeding in California.”