Advocacy

... is NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE - click here for the full report.

Prevent Obesity through Breastfeeding

in Suburban Cook County, Illinois

As breastfeeding reduces a child’s risk of being obese or overweight by 22%, breastfeeding promotion and support are critical strategies for obesity prevention.

HealthConnect One is a proud partner in the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Led by the Cook County Department of Public Health and the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, the CPPW partnership in suburban Cook County is using obesity-prevention strategies to enact policy, systems and environmental change.

Breastfeeding Goals

Our goals for breastfeeding policy, systems and environmental change in suburban Cook County include:

Add exclusive breastfeeding rates to the Illinois Hospital Report Card. Accomplished March 2, 2011! *
Implement five or more of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding at suburban Cook County hospitals. HC One has begun working with Little Company of Mary Hospital, Northwest Community Hospital, and MetroSouth Hospital to implement Baby-Friendly steps.
Establish breastfeeding support referral systems at four of Illinois' leading health provider associations.
Introduce legislation in the State of Illinois to allow for reimbursement of breastfeeding support, including peer counselors.

* To check breastfeeding rates for a single hospital, click on the "Safety" tab for that hospital's report card.

Take Action

HealthConnect One relies on your action and feedback to make these goals a reality. Following are some ways to take action!

1. Implement Baby-Friendly Steps at Your Hospital

Implementing the steps for Baby Friendly is a key part of this initiative. For more information on the research behind Baby Friendly – including implementing individual steps – check out our new Becoming Baby Friendly fact sheet.

2. Get Involved

Community involvement is an essential part of the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative. To join HealthConnect One in this work, please contact HC One's Project Coordinator, Sadie Wych at swych@healthconnectone.org or (312) 878 -7023.

To learn more about CPPW opportunities in suburban Cook County, visit the CPPW Community Toolbox.

Which Illinois Hospitals Support Breastfeeding?

HealthConnect One Project Manager Beth Pellettieri answers this question in her guest blog for the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition in March 2011. But you can find the answers now, too! Starting March 2, 2011, consumers, advocates and health professionals can access data on the percentage of newborns breastfeeding (and not breastfeeding) at each hospital, through the Illinois Hospital Report Card. To check breastfeeding rates for a single hospital, click on the "Safety" tab for that hospital.

As we know, breastfeeding is a critical prevention strategy for improving the health outcomes of mothers, infants and families in the state of Illinois and across the nation. In addition, hospital practices have a significant impact on breastfeeding duration in the postpartum period. HC One Executive Director Rachel Abramson shared her perspective on successful hospital practices recently on WBEZ. This new measure provides valuable information to mothers and their families in discussing breastfeeding with their healthcare professional – and creates a new data source for monitoring improvements in breastfeeding rates.

HealthConnect One collaborated with the Illinois Department of Public Health on this important addition to the Illinois Hospital Report Card, as part of our Illinois Breastfeeding Blueprint: A Plan for Change and Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiatives.

Illinois Breastfeeding Blueprint

HealthConnect One, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the University of Illinois School of Public Health launched a collaborative statewide initiative in April 2011, the Illinois Breastfeeding Blueprint: A Plan for Change -- to support and increase successful breastfeeding, and to decrease disparities in breastfeeding rates across the state. The Illinois Breastfeeding Blueprint includes both qualitative and quantitative analysis of existing and emerging data, identifies demographic trends in statewide breastfeeding rates, and prioritizes areas in which our efforts should be focused.

HealthConnect One took the lead on collecting qualitative data for the Blueprint - stories and feedback - engaging stakeholders in critical thinking about priority issues and strategies through a series of community forums. Throughout this process, many have asked:

WHAT CAN WE DO NOW? The answer is, you can support, advocate and educate on the benefits of breastfeeding! Click here for ideas.

We are grateful for the generous financial support of the Polk Bros. Foundation, IDHS, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois for making this project possible. We also appreciate our coalition partners, and all of the breastfeeding peer counselors and community supporters who have shared their perspectives and expertise along the way.