Kane forms breastfeeding group
The Kane County Health Department recently announced the formation of the Kane County Breastfeeding Promotion Coalition. The coalition's initial campaign promotes breast-feeding among women in Kane County, using the theme "Breast-feeding - It's more than just food!" This theme recognizes the ultimate nutritional value of breast milk, but also emphasizes many additional benefits for the infant that increase or facilitate health protective factors, emotional development, and brain development. Finally, the theme refers to the economic savings of breast-feeding over formula feeding and points out that breast-feeding is really a "green" way of eating.
The slogan for World Wide Breastfeeding Week, which falls in August, is "Go for the Gold!" The Kane County Breastfeeding Promotion Coalition wants to do just that, said Kane County Health Department executive director Paul Kuehnert. "As a coalition, we are more likely to achieve the gold standard for breast-feeding rates for Kane County which will help us reach our goal of having the healthiest residents in Illinois by 2030!"
The coalition is also planning to provide special educational offerings for nurses, case managers, health workers, WIC professionals, and paraprofessional staff who interact with mothers prenatally and postpartum. The focus in the education is to explore the opportunities and define specific ways each of these health worker groups will promote breast-feeding and support women in their feeding decisions.
The Kane County Breastfeeding Promotion is a collaboration among the Visiting Nurse Association of Fox Valley WIC And Health Families Programs, the Well Child Center WIC Program, the Kane County Health Department WIC, Family Case Management, and Kane Kares Nurse Family Partnership Programs, Saint Charles Pediatrics and Breast 'N Baby Lactation Services Inc., the La Leche League of Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles, the Lactation Consultants of Rush Copley Medical Center, Sherman Health Medical Center, Delnor Community Hospital, Provena Mercy Medical Center, and Provena St. Joseph Hospital Medical Center, the Kane County Perinatal Committee, and the All Our Kids Birth to Five Early Childhood Network.
If you would like to join the coalition, or for more information, call Rhonda Crowder, (630) 232-5926.