Policy Position Paper Signature Assignment

Health Care Policy /550

Policy Position Paper Signature Assignment

Introduction

“Mothers are one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. labor force. In 2012, 57% of all mothers with infants were employed” (CDC, n.d.). The experiences of many women who breastfeed in the workplace are inspiring others to take on some arrangement of an activist role to effect a change in acts, regulations or policies that oversee the bigger picture. This type of activist requires striding further than their comfort and into the less accustomed territory of politics and policy, a world in which many mothers don’t feel equipped to maneuver effectively. Successfully policy activist rest on having the control, the determination, the energy, and the time, besides the political skills required to ‘know the game’ in the legislative ground.

Audience

Numerous states ordained legislation that pushes support for breastfeeding in the workplace. Mothers are tired of the lack of support and taking the issues to the legislative and to utilize legislative influence and diplomatic power, to decide which approaches will be most efficient and timely. Mothers understand the importance of knowing the involvement of the key players that can affect the final decision on the outcome.

Purpose

Women who return to work after maternal leave prefer to breastfeed or express their breast milk while at work but lack accommodation for privacy. Mothers are looking for opportunities to continue to nourish their children with breast milk without using restrooms or areas that are not safe. Moms know the benefit of breastfeeding their child and know how it can potential prevent illness in the future but are afraid of losing their job if they continue to breastfeed. “Although the ACA requires many employers to provide nursing mothers with reasonable break time and private space to express breast milk, a recent study found that only 40 percent of women who gave birth in 2011 or 2012 and returned to work postpartum reported having access to both of these accommodations” (Young, 2015). To continue breastfeeding or expressing milk while at work mothers are reaching out to the legislative to create a policy for mothers who want to breastfeed their child.

Health policymaking process

Policymaking process is the essential role of the legislative bodies, yet is often misunderstood. For moms who work, it can be difficult to breastfeed while at work, unless their employers provide policies to accommodate breastfeeding. Policymaking process can support breastfeeding mothers to include laws authorizing extended maternity leave, permitting flexible scheduling and private location for breastfeeding or expressing milk for employees. Further legislation can help revise current structure to promote a healthier lifestyle for mother and her infant.

Breastfeeding has been around since the beginning of life but providing visibility breastfeeding in the workplace is important and requires support, but it may be difficult to pass the agenda-setting phase. Many major problems are brought to the agenda setting and to propose breastfeeding which has been part of life may be critical to past the first step of agenda. Policymaking communities may not understand the benefit of mothers working while breastfeeding as a priority since it can take time away from their job. Especially if moms can incorporate alternative methods such as supplementing with baby formula, milk expressing during regular lunch and breaks time and option to stop breastfeeding to keep their job.

Development of health policy

Providing data or research can become more powerful and helpful to propose a policy for breastfeeding mother in the workplace. Evidence supporting breastfeeding continues to expand regarding understanding the quality of research. The benefit of breastfeeding mothers persists beyond health effect but a period of protection of the environment. “WHO review showed that children who had not breastfed had higher mean blood pressure, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, increased risk of obesity, and lower scores on intelligence tests. Children who not breastfed are also at an increased risk of type 1 diabetes, asthma, and childhood leukemia” (American Academy, 2016). Exclusively breastfeeding has a stronger effect on infants who are not able to receive breastmilk over a period.

The most valuable information to bring when offering to the legislator is conveying about policy change and educating them on the benefit for breastfeeding mothers to have accommodation in the workplace. Breastfeeding is not designed to cause issues based on personal choice of a feeding method that is safe and efficient. However, the evidence provides more substance than any opinion and providing facts about the benefit of breastfeeding also enhancing the economy financially. “$13 billion of direct health care costs would be saved annually if 90% of women were able to breastfeed according to medical recommendations” (USBC, n.d.). Some reasons breastfeeding save money by boosting their immune system improved productivity, enhance the public view of the organization; and decrease health care cost, turnover, and truancy.

Key stakeholders and interest groups

Selecting the appropriate stakeholders involved many various traits to ensure breastfeeding mothers in the workplace become a policy such as being recognized nationally and regionally. Requires them to participate in advocacy events specifically in the progression of making a positive change in policies to affect mothers and infants. World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) would be a stakeholder because they believe in promoting and supporting breastfeeding worldwide. They also collaborate with other partners to join with hopes to increase awareness and increase results. Another stakeholder is American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) who supportive of moms breastfeeding and understand the advantages that breastfeeding provides. Family physicians have the chance to deliver training and encouragement thru the duration of life to all family participants. They also understand the context of household unit care to positioned maternity care in a unique role of promoting breastfeeding whether or not they want to breastfeed.

Special interest group would support breastfeeding in the workplace is women employed (SIG). They share the common concern for making life better for working women and influence the government policies to impact the interests of working women are experiencing. The women employed group analyze workplace issues and educate policymakers to build support to improve overall opportunities.

Drivers of health policy

Shaping the last result and subject of the proposed policy change determine on pinpointing between enthusiasts and non-supporters amongst legislators. Those who are involved the most with a contacting member of the committee who is relevant, reaching out to the chairperson and most importantly staying contacted with their legislator. “These factors include party politics, personal preferences, district voters’ preferences, and the pressure of organized interest groups” (Abood, 2007). The process by which groups work to promote their issues on agenda setting are those who will increase awareness of the public and decision makers are presumably to gain larger notice. American structure of government and legislations often support more powerful and more concentration economic importance over less supreme importance.

Roles of legislative committees

The right for equal employment opportunity (Civil Right Act), which protects the mother who breastfeeds while at work. United State Breastfeeding Committee promotes breastfeeding educating, advocating, and legislative attempts. The committee is federal cohabiting with WIC to provide families the benefit of breast milk. Committee made inventory available and studied states legislation maternity and breastfeeding in the workplace.

Local, state, and federal

Mothers who stop in public areas to feed their baby is a shame for exposing themselves. As the state law promotes mother who breastfeed their baby can breastfeed at any location in which moms authorized. The legislature recognizes a mom responsibility to support her child. In 2001, judicial council of California came together in a council committee to review a report of a mother who wanted to defer jury duty because she is breastfeeding her child. The local policy was approved and moving forward for mothers who have jury duty and they are breastfeeding can be exempt from attending.

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires employers to offer a reasonable break of the period for nursing mothers. The policy allows the nursing mother to express her breast milk within a sensible break of the period for her member of staff. The break areas cannot be a bathroom, the area requires privacy and away from intruders such as a co-worker or the public. This policy impacted the breastfeeding mothers in the workplace policy by providing moms with options for returning to work. “Only 10 percent of mothers who work full-time are still breastfeeding their baby at six months, according to a 2005 CDC report” (Parenting, 2016). Prior policies allow moms to feed confidently in their motherhood without having to choose between breastfeeding their child or work.

Individuals and groups

In 1989, AAFP promoted a policy for breastfeeding, recommended breastfeeding is physiological for both mother and infant. They express breastfeeding should continue to enforce until the baby is six months of life and family physician should have knowledge of supporting, protecting, and promoting breastfeeding. After the success of being an advocate for breastfeeding, AAFP endorse breastfeeding accommodation for trainees which provided a gateway to breastfeeding in the workplace policy by providing accommodations to trainees for privacy to breastfeed or express breast milk during a designated hour. The previous policy has impacted breastfeeding policy by helping produce practical outcome and results on a broader scale. Through past success the current process provides certain provisions of the regulation in the development of breastfeeding mothers in the significant workplace benefits, then those past policies that were amended.

Impact of advocacy

Even the most straightforward support policy provide observation and monitoring of policies that are already in place. Mothers who needed support continue to attempt to breastfeed or express their breast milk while at work, created an outreach guide to help local organization areas incorporate breastfeeding advocates reaching out to employers. Thus it was launched and became a public place of work scheme that develops into a source kit for managers called The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau. From the success of mother’s launch, it was a long term of research to plan out the policy, strategic approach, political relations and interests at stake to devise an effective advocacy strategy.

Contrast level of government

Americans can benefit from the services of government whether local, state and federal but to impact all women the federal level is the direction of the policy. The federal government acquires power in countless ways, whereas the state must grant local government power. It also acquires a deficit of resources and state and local operate within a budget that cannot exceed a year. The federal government can educate women about the benefit of breastfeeding by establishing programs to inform women such as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). This program is a federal funding program to serve women at low-income areas educating the importance of nutrients in breast milk.

Public and private regulatory agencies

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is responsible for implementing breastfeeding mother in the workplace to strive for the advancement of wellness of programs and policies which include supporting breastfeeding. ACA agencies impact the company productivity for their employees who tend to have fewer absences because their child is less sick. Thus help with the organization health plan lowering the rates allowing insurance more affordable for the employees.

Healthcare environment

Breastfeeding offers a variety of benefits not only for the mom and child but overall to health care environment. Breastfeeding is an essential to improving infant and child morbidity by breastfeeding exclusively six months, and contribution controlling the cost of health care. Since breastfeeding reduces illness, it can lower medical insurance for business and the company will notice a return on their investment.

Support programs in the workplace can serve many components of resources which created by United States Breastfeeding Committee. Employers can implement many approaches to ensuring enough time for breastfeeding or expressing milk. The workplace can launch an incentive and resource kit for companies as a guide to advocates breastfeeding educating employers such as human resource management, higher management and all who involved with the implementation process. Also support and accommodation in the workplace with recognizes mothers who choose to breastfeed benefit not just the family but society and company. New moms are allowed to bring their child to work until four months it can be extended depending on the level of activity of the infant.

Promoting and supporting breastfeeding is cost effective, especially culturally and socioeconomically. For babies, breastfeeding offers short-term and long-term benefits in health care environment. “When an infant is breastfed, the family saves approximately $1,500/year in direct costs for feeding supplies and formula. The family also saves indirect costs related to fewer medical bills and fewer lost days of work because the infant is healthier. When employers supported breastfeeding, they received a $3 return for every $1 invested in a lactation program” (Roberta, 2015).

The care of the mom and child impacted by providing an adequate amount of staff that’s knowledgeable to educate and empower the mothers successfully. This knowledge affects ways the mother interacts with the child and family, providing strong patient focus care which is precious to the patients. The interaction between the nurse and patient seen as a mentor.

The tradeoff, however, is a strain to maintenance the privacy and security of personal health information and communication as it is shifted one person to another The continuity maintenance involves financial stress which leads to adverse side effects and runs longer may not fully carry through. Also, the tradeoff for infant feeding may expect to change in the future as the connection changes with concerns for breastfeeding.

Hypothetical mother/infant breastfeeding tradeoff over a precise interval of time

Conclusion

Breastfeeding is a public health concern and if not supported by many legislative mothers are a force to make difficult life changing decisions whether or not to continue working and stop breastfeeding or expressing milk. The workplace should provide accommodation to working mothers who breastfeed and allowed privacy and time to do so.

Reference

Abood, S. (January 31, 2007). “Influencing Health Care in the Legislative Arena”. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. 12 No. 1, Manuscript 2.

American Academy of Family Physicians. (2016). Breastfeeding, Family Physicians Supporting . Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/breastfeeding-support.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d. ). Support for Breastfeeding in the Workplace. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/strategy5-support-breastfeeding_workplace.pdf 

Parenting . (2016). Why Women Don’t Nurse Longer. Retrieved from http://www.parenting.com/article/moms-right-to-breastfeed

United State Breastfeeding Committee. (n.d.). Workplace Accommodations to. Retrieved from http://breastfeedingmadesimple.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/workplaceaccommodations.pdf

Roberta Cricco-Lizza, Infant Feeding Beliefs and Day-to-Day Feeding Practices of NICU Nurses, Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 2015

Yang, T. Y., Saunders, J. B., & Kozhimannil, K. B. (2016, October ). Workplace and Public Accommodations for Nursing Mothers. Health Policy Briefs, 35(10).