About breaststart.org
Our Values
BreastStart is a project of the Mendocino Breastfeeding Coalition.
We recognize and celebrate that breastfeeding/chestfeeding is one of the best ways to protect the short and long-term health of babies and the health of lactating people.
Breastfeeding can impact the health of multiple generations.
Breastfeeding rates vary by race/ethnicity, income/class, and other social determinants of health. Barriers, unjust social structures, and historical injustices are at the root of these inequitable breastfeeding rates.
We seek to reduce barriers to improve support, access, and equity.
We seek to change the unjust social structures and systems that make breastfeeding/lactation more difficult.
We value the public health goals at local, state, and federal levels, that support lactation, and the personal lactation goals and successes as determined by individuals.
Mendocino Breastfeeding Coalition
We are a group of parents, birth workers, educators, healthcare providers, public health professionals, and lactation specialists joining efforts facilitated by FIRST 5 Mendocino to strengthen local lactation supports.
Breastfeeding Coalition members agree to:
- attend meetings regularly -6 meetings or more per year
- engage with one sub-committee or project and its planning, promotion, and production annually
- provide outreach to parents for coalition projects as needed
- share agency processes for needs assessment & asset/resource mapping no less than once every 2nd year
- Share in collaboration for the development of patient referral/handoff process
- Commit to workforce development; role definition, educational pathways, and outreach.
Our Partners
