By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
A three year grant awarded to the Pawnee County Health Department by the Kansas Health Foundation as part of the Kansas Breastfeeding Initiative will also benefit Ellis, Rooks, Rush, Russell and Trego counties.
The Lactation Assistance Access in all Counties Taking Action (LAACT-Action) will address the need to increase breastfeeding rates in Kansas by providing professional breastfeeding support to expectant women through prenatal breastfeeding classes and support to breastfeeding mothers after delivery.
Public health departments in 20 counties have agreed to assist in linking physician-referred women to an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in their area.
Monique Holmes, a Hays mother of five children and La Leche League leader for nearly 16 years, is the IBCLC for the local area. The Region 3 classes and services are scheduled to start no later than January 2017. Two other regions will start in January 2016.
“Kansas actually has one of the lower breastfeeding rates in the United States,” Holmes said.
The 2014 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Breastfeeding Report Card reports just 11.4 percent of Kansas mothers are exclusively breastfeeding at six months, ranking 48th out of 50 states.
“It’s kind of strange,” she added, “because Kansas also has one of the highest IBCLC rates per capita but they are not being utilized.” The national average for the number of IBCLCs per 1,000 live births is 3.48; Kansas is at 3.76.
“This is actually a public health initiative,” Holmes explained. “With the ‘blanket’ of the public health departments, we are able to utilize IBCLCs’ expertise in providing services to the residents in the 20 counties. The end goal is for the whole community to be more healthy and one of the best ways we can start that is through breast feeding. Not only is it important for babies there are important health benefits for mothers as well.”
Holmes listed several advantages of breastfeeding.
“Babies develop immunities through breast milk as antibodies are passed from the mother to the child, reduced risk of obesity in children, better oral and facial development, and less chance of orthodonture work.
“For the moms, there’s lower risk of certain types of cancer, including breast cancer. After delivery it can help reduce the risk of bleeding. It can also help us get back to our pre-pregnancy weight,” she said.
Breastfeeding is good for the community as well, contends Holmes.
“There’s less trash. It’s ‘green,’ should we say,” she laughed.
According to Holmes, sustainability of the project will be built upon with financing strategies for breastfeeding support under the national Affordable Care Act. The recent Preventative Services rule change allows insurance reimbursement for non-licensed health workers who provide a preventive service upon referral from a licensed health care provider.
Dr. Jenny Manry, associate professor and coordinator of advanced practice in the Fort Hays State University nursing department, as well as a family nurse practitioner in Larned, will serve as data analyst for the grant.
“It’s a really great opportunity for moms to get the support they need in order to breastfeed. It is natural and babies are ‘hardwired’ to breastfeed so we think it may be an easy process, but there are a lot of myths out there and some ‘old wives tales,'” Holmes acknowledged. “So it’s really important to get good information from somebody knowledgeable in lactation. It’s a great opportunity for us to create an ideal continuum of breastfeeding care all the way from prenatally through weaning.”
Holmes anticipates the Hays/Region 3 program will start sooner than scheduled and encourages women to contact their doctor or public health office for more information.