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Texas Breastfeeding Coalition Strategic Plan: 2010-2014
LEGACY STATEMENT
Texans support breastfeeding.
MISSION STATEMENT
To improve the health of Texans by working collaboratively to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS
Improve breastfeeding rates.
Ensure that all state and local laws and policies protect breastfeeding.
Protect and promote a public environment supportive and accepting of breastfeeding.
Build, link, and ensure access to state and local resources.
Foster communication and build a strong networking system among stakeholders.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE’S RESPONSIBILITY
It is the responsibility of the Executive Committee to direct the Texas Breastfeeding Coalition towards achieving its mission and legacy.
STRATEGIC GOALS: 2010-2014
The Texas Breastfeeding Coalition has adopted the following strategic goals to achieve its mission and legacy:
Goal A: Ensure that quality breastfeeding services are an essential component of health care for all families.
- Advocate for adoption of evidence‐based breastfeeding standards, guidelines, and regulations for facilities providing maternity and infant health care services.
- Promote evidence based practices supportive of breastfeeding to hospitals, including the WHO/UNICEF Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and employment of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants.
- Assist the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) and other partners in disseminating information and promoting programs and initiatives related to improving breastfeeding outcomes in maternity and infant health services.
- Promote the Texas Ten Step Program (TTS) and the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) to hospitals, and recognize hospitals who achieve the designations by sending letters of congratulation and listing them on the TXBC website.
- Provide awards and recognize hospitals that maintain the TTS or BFHI designation for five years in a row.
- Ensure that health care professionals have the knowledge and resources to make evidence-based recommendations and treatment decisions that optimize breastfeeding outcomes.
- Partner with local coalitions to hold continuing education conferences for health professionals.
- Disseminate available trainings (e.g. DSHS health professional trainings) and other resources to promote evidence-based practice related to breastfeeding.
- Counteract the negative impact of product marketing in the healthcare setting.
- Advocate for the elimination of the distribution of formula marketing materials through health care professionals and the health system
- Develop and implement the Ban the Bag initiative statewide in Texas.
- Goal B: Increase public awareness and acceptance of breastfeeding.
- Maintain a legislative presence to promote breastfeeding as a health policy issue.
- Secure bill sponsorship and garner support for legislation to clarify the Right to Breastfeed law to eliminate ambiguity and to clarify that establishments are unable to refuse or retract a woman’s authorization to be in a location simply because she is breastfeeding.
- Network with other statewide organizations to develop and advocate for strong breastfeeding policy agendas in each legislative session
- In addition to bill sponsorship, explore other methods of engaging and informing legislators about breastfeeding as a policy issue, including capitol visiting days, legislator home office visits, committee briefings, interim studies, and legislator-sponsored meetings at the capitol.
- Assure that the public and breastfeeding mothers have access to breastfeeding laws and policies by posting existing and proposed national and state policies, laws and legislation on the TXBC website.
- Advocate for the normalization of breastfeeding in public.
- Work with local coalitions to increase the number of Texans participating in the annual Quintessence International Breastfeeding Challenge.
- Seek and obtain funding for a demonstration project to promote awareness about the right to breastfeed in public.
- Encourage public sites (e.g. libraries, parks and recreation facilities, sporting arenas, gyms, city halls, courthouses, state capitol, departments of public safety, comptroller’s offices, public service offices, and other establishments) to support breastfeeding and to display DSHS “Breastfeeding Friendly Establishment” decals.
- Assist DSHS and other partners in disseminating information and promoting programs and initiatives related to the right to breastfeed in public.
- Increase community support of breastfeeding.
- Develop (or disseminate existing) specific curriculum and/or literature to directly impact breastfeeding support by dads & grandparents.
- Develop a comprehensive resource toolkit on the TXBC website to promote state and local resources for breastfeeding support.
- Network with health professional organizations, International Lactation Consultant Association local affiliates, WIC, La Leche League of Texas, and other sources of professional, paraprofessional, and mother-to-mother support to strengthen the breastfeeding community support system in Texas.
- Goal C: Ensure that women and their families in the workforce are supported in optimal breastfeeding.
- Support USBC’s legislative agenda related to ensure that women and their families in the workforce are supported in optimal breastfeeding.
- Support passage of the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act.
- Support passage of the Family Leave Insurance Act.
- Support revision and expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act to protect breastfeeding mothers with no access to leave.
- Advocate for passage of federal legislation to require or incentivize workplace accommodations, such as the Breastfeeding Promotion Act.
- Support/advocate for state legislation to provide paid family leave.
- Support/advocate for state legislation to require or incentivize workplace accommodations.
- Encourage implementation of worksite lactation support policies for Texas businesses.
- Promote the Mother Friendly Worksite (MFW) Program to businesses.
- Partner with local coalitions to use the Business Case for Breastfeeding toolkit and other strategies to assist businesses to achieve MFW status.
- Encourage hospitals, state agencies, and local health and human services and other healthcare settings to become MFWs.
- Recognize MFWs by listing designated sites on the TXBC website and by sending a thank you letter to newly-designated businesses for promoting breastfeeding-friendly practices.
- Work with local coalitions to recognize and present awards to employers across the state who have implemented best practices in worksite lactation support.
- Conduct/coordinate Business Case for Breastfeeding trainings and events.
- Educate other partners/organizations about the need for worksite lactation accommodation and support, and about the MFW Program.
- Goal D: Ensure that TXBC is a sustainable and effective organization, funded, structured, and aligned to do its work.
- Secure and maintain funding to support achievement of the strategic goals, and reserves to cushion against the unexpected.
- Continue to seek grant/project funding opportunities.
- Continue to identify potential fund raising opportunities.
- Seek sources of ongoing sponsorship.
- Develop staffing structure to support achievement of strategic goals
- Develop job description(s) for support staff.
- Identify potential funding sources and seek funding for paid staff member(s).
- Maintain a strong governance framework, including a committee structure that mobilizes members and volunteers to collaborate to support achievement of the strategic goals, while making the best use of their unique skills and expertise.
- Implement established governance structure and evaluate its effectiveness.
- Develop and communicate job descriptions for each committee role.
- Develop volunteer recruitment and management skills and techniques of executive committee and officers.
- Continue to build a multi-sectoral, diverse membership and cultivate appropriate strategic partnerships.
- Seek partnership/funding from the DSHS to convene a summit with a broad base of stakeholders to develop a Texas Blueprint for Action on Breastfeeding.
- Ensure TXBC presence at professional conferences.
- Develop a common calendar for collaborative scheduling of breastfeeding-related events via website.
- Maintain a strong partnership with, and provide support for, a network of local breastfeeding coalitions.
- Develop a mentor/technical assistance program for development of new and existing coalitions.
- Conduct assessment of local coalitions’ use of and needs for state programs, services, and resources.
- Develop recommendations and implement activities based on assessment findings.
- Serve as an expert voice and a clearinghouse of breastfeeding information.
- Develop a strong web presence by updating, enhancing, and maintaining the TXBC website.
- Develop and implement a media strategy to respond to and to publicize breastfeeding related events.
- Disseminate relevant national, state and local news, program updates, data, research, communications, etc. to membership via email, website, and other media.
- Develop a mechanism for compiling breastfeeding best practices in the state and highlight successful breastfeeding programs and initiatives on the TXBC website.
- Initiate an annual poster session to highlight state and local breastfeeding projects at TXBC meeting.
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