Best Babies Collaboratives and Care Quality Collaborative Achieve Healthy People 2010 Goals

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In honor of World Breastfeeding Week (August 1 - August 7) and California Breastfeeding Awareness Month, LA Best Babies Network would like to salute the impressive achievements of the Best Babies Collaboratives (BBCs) and Care Quality Collaborative in supporting and increasing breastfeeding in our communities.

The goals set by Healthy People 2010 are for 75 percent of mothers to initiate breastfeeding, and for 50 percent to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months. With the support of First 5 LA's Healthy Births Initiative, and through the efforts of the BBCs, women participating in the BBC programs have met and exceeded these goals.

This is particularly remarkable considering that in 2006, the baseline rate of breastfeeding initiation in the BBC population was only 42 percent.

The Healthy Births Care Quality Collaborative also achieved a dramatic 90 percent increase over the 2007 baseline, in initiation of exclusive breastfeeding among its clients -- rates that were sustained over time.

According to the Network's Perinatal Scorecard, in L.A. County, the rates of both "any" and "exclusive" breastfeeding in 2007 were well below California state averages. By race, African American, Pacific Islander, and American Indian mothers living in L.A. County were least likely to breastfeed, whereas rates were highest for white, Asian, multiple race, and Hispanic mothers. L.A. County mothers who were college graduates, or who had attended some college, had higher rates of all measures of breastfeeding than mothers with less education.

Both the BBCs and the Care Quality clinics have achieved success by implementing a broad-based, multi-pronged approach that includes a supportive clinic environment, consistent messages from all staff, and ongoing breastfeeding education and support that starts at the very beginning of pregnancy and continues in the hospital and the first days and weeks following birth.

The collaboratives recognize that for breastfeeding to be successful, it is important to make moms-to-be aware of its benefits early in their pregnancies, and to support them in achieving their breastfeeding goals, including assisting moms during postpartum hospital and home visits. The BBCs provide this continuous support through individual case management. Care Quality Clinics also referred clients not receiving home visitation to WIC lactation peer counselors for additional breastfeeding education and support.

Through the Healthy Births Initiative, BBC case mangers and Care Quality clinic staff were trained as certified lactation educators and lactation consultants.

Yolanda Salomon Lopez, program coordinator for the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services and the Long Beach-Wilmington BBC, reports that with this training, BBC case managers in Long Beach are able to provide one-on-one breastfeeding support during hospital or home visitation.

At the Harbor-Corridor BBC, in addition to having case managers who are certified lactation educators, breastfeeding education is offered through stand-alone breastfeeding classes, as part of a series in prepared childbirth classes, and as part of an outreach program to local high schools, according to Cordelia Hanna-Cheruiyot, BBC case manager and supervisor/health educator for St. John's Well Child and Family Center. Clients are also offered educational videos, printed materials, flyers, and incentive programs.

Both Harbor-Corridor and the Long Beach-Wilmington BBC have initiated breast pump loan programs, and are prepared to refer clients to additional community resources, including WIC breastfeeding classes, and La Leche League hotline information.

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