FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Andrea Serano
Email: Aserano@breastfeedingrose.org Phone: 404-719-4297 ext. 104
Lithonia, GA, June 24, 2022 - Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE), a Georgia-based national nonprofit organization founded to alleviate Black breastfeeding disparities in the U.S., has created a new communications and outreach initiative, Health Equity Action for Lactation (HEAL).
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 75% of Black infants in the US are breastfed which is a significant improvement, but there still remains an almost 20% inequity between other racial groups (CDC, 2021). HEAL is designed to combat inequities in breastfeeding by working alongside Black communities and key stakeholders to incorporate culturally centered breastfeeding information that addresses key gaps. By engaging stakeholders like pregnant and lactating families, community health workers, doulas, lactation specialists, community-based organizations, and national partners whose work impact Black communities, HEAL is lifting the village of support and addressing societal stigma within the Black community related to breastfeeding.
HEAL utilizes social media platforms to share resources from the It’s Only Natural: Mother’s Love. Mother’s Milk., Your Guide to Breastfeeding, and Supporting Nursing Moms at Work national campaigns. Dr. Kimarie Bugg, CEO and Co-Founder of ROSE shared, “To help spread breastfeeding messaging and increase awareness, we must meet community members where they are.” HEAL’s key strategies include connecting with prioritized communities, updating and disseminating national breastfeeding campaign materials, and working alongside stakeholders to implement and utilize resources to better support pregnant and lactating families.
Supporters of ROSE have numerous opportunities to engage in this initiative, and you are invited to join ROSE on this journey. Visit breastfeedingrose.org/heal-initiative for up-to-date information, and follow the #HEAL2HEALTH hashtag for content!
About ROSE
Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE), Inc. seeks to enhance, encourage, support, promote, and protect breastfeeding throughout the USA, by working to reduce breastfeeding disparities among African American women, and to strengthen the health of their babies and families through, mentoring, training, breastfeeding support groups, social support, outreach, education, legislation, health policies, and social marketing. Visit breastfeedingrose.org and follow ROSE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Bibliography:
CDC. (2021, August 3). Results: Breastfeeding Rates. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/nis_data/results.html
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