Breastfeeding Coalition
Who We Are
The Breastfeeding Coalition of Stanislaus County works with a vision "Infants in Stanislaus County will breastfeed for the first year of life."" The Coalition's goals are:
- To improve breastfeeding rates in Stanislaus County
- Build, link, and ensure access to breastfeeding resources
- Foster ongoing dialogue among stakeholders
- Support capacity-building trainings within Stanislaus County
- To educate, support, and protect breastfeeding
- Establish an environment that is supportive and accepting of breastfeeding in Stanislaus County
What We Do
The coalition aims to convene a multidiscipline breastfeeding program from hospitals, clinics, the community, public health, health plans, and other stakeholders to improve breastfeeding initiation and duration rates and advance health equity.
The Breastfeeding Coalition of Stanislaus County meets quarterly via Zoom on the 3rd Thursday of the month from 8:30-9:30 am. For more information, or if you would like to be involved, call (209)558-5666 or email esgonzalez@schsa.org.
Breastfeeding Resources
Welfare-to-Work Requirements
Declares applicants and recipients of Social Service aid are allowed to breastfeed in any public area or anywhere the mother and child are authorized to be, including the county welfare department or any other county office.
Breastfeeding Education and Support
Health and Safety Code 123360: Requires the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to support breastfeeding in public service campaigns. Additionally, CDPH is to develop an eight-hour training course of model hospital policy recommendations that promote breastfeeding.
Welfare Institutions Code 14134.55: Requires Medi-Cal program to improve access to lactation support and breast pumps for Medi-Cal recipients. CDPH shall expand the Women, Infants and Children's Breastfeeding Peer Counseling program, as funds are available.
(Also see Breastfeeding Education and Support, 2007, under Hospitals)
Jury Duty - Breastfeeding Mothers, 2000, Assembly Bill 1814, Lempert, Code of Civil Procedure 210.5. Requires the Judicial Council to adopt standardized jury summons language that specifically references breastfeeding mothers.
Human Milk Banks, 1999, Assembly Bill 532, Lempert, Health and Safety Code Section 1647. Declares that a nonprofit human milk bank that collects, processes and distributes human milk for human consumption is considered to be providing a service and is declared not to be a sale of human milk.
Right to Breastfeed in Public, 1997, Assembly Bill 157, Villaraigosa, Civil Code 43.3. Declares a mother may breastfeed her child in any location, public or private, where the mother is authorized to be present. The right to breastfeed does not extend, however, to the private home or residence of another.
California Department of Public Health promotes breastfeeding, 1995, Assembly Bill 977, McDonald, Health and Safety Code 123360. Requires the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to promote breastfeeding in its public service campaigns.
Unlawful Discrimination: Breastfeeding included in definition of Sex 2012, Assembly Bill 2386, Allen, Government Code 12926
Expands the definition of sex discrimination to include pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, plus any medically related conditions regarding pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Examples of “related medical condition” include mastitis, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, post-partum depression, loss or end of pregnancy or recovery from loss or end of pregnancy.
Your Rights and Obligations as a Pregnant Employee
Lactation Accommodation 2001, Assembly Bill 1025, Frommer and 2020 Senate Bill 142, Weiner Labor Code Chapter 3.8, Section 1030, 1031, 1032, 1033 and 1034
Lactating employees are entitled to private space and reasonable break time to express milk at work. The space must not be a bathroom, must be close to your work area, and must be shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public. In addition, the space must contain a place to sit and a surface to place a pump; have access to electricity or ways to operate an electric or battery-powered pump; and be located near refrigeration and a sink with running water.
The Labor Commissioner investigates complaints. If, upon inspection or investigation, the Labor Commissioner determines that a violation has occurred, the Labor Commissioner may issue a citation and may impose a civil penalty in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100) for each day that an employee is denied reasonable break time or adequate space to express milk.
An employer cannot fire or in any other manner discriminate or retaliate against, an employee for exercising or attempting to exercise any right to lactation accommodations.
Section 7(r) of the Fair Labor Standards Act - Break Time for Nursing Mothers Provision
Effective March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act amended the FLSA to require employers to provide a nursing mother reasonable break time to express breast milk after the birth of her child. The amendment also requires that employers provide a place for an employee to express breast milk.
- BFUSA: Getting Started to Become Baby-Friendly
- Kaiser Permanente: Improving Hospital Breastfeeding Support-Implementation Toolkit
- California Department of Public Health Hospital Guidelines and Resources
- Center for Health Equity, Education & Research - Breastfeeding/Baby-Friendly Resources
- ChangeLab Solutions Baby-Friendly Infographic
