(SAFE) Support, Assist, Feed, Equip: A Guide for Safe Infant Feeding in Unstable Environments

Description

In your community, there is a hurricane with flooding and loss of power that leads many families to seek help at a shelter. A plant closes resulting in families not having a source of steady income and, ultimately concerns about paying bills and feeding their families. Or the city water source has become contaminated. The instability for families might not be instantly visible, as is seen during a natural disaster, but it is very real. Any of these instabilities in the environment will increase the vulnerability of families, especially people who are pregnant, postpartum and lactating, as well as infants and children under the age of two. For this population, the risk of infection and illness is greater when in unstable environments. They will need more care during a disaster to ensure that they are SAFE (Supported, Assisted, Fed and Equipped).

This interactive training offered through WIC LATCH (Lactation Area Training Center for Health) will look at the challenges faced by this population in emergency situations; and best practices for supporting them during an emergency.

Target Audience

Public Health - Nutritionists, Nurses, Social Workers, Emergency Preparedness Coordinators; Emergency Preparedness Coordinators working in schools, hospitals and non-profit organizations.

Objectives

At the end of this training, the learner will be able to:

• List standards for shelters setting up feeding plans and assisting families in emergencies
• Mitigate risks to breastmilk substitutes in emergency situations
• Describe the risks to families with infants in an emergency
• Explain CDC guidelines for protecting infants in unstable environments

Faculty

• Georganna Cogburn, MS RD LDN IBCLC RLC
• Rachel Dean, MPH, RDN, LDN, IBCLC
• Hannah E. Edens, MPH, RD, LDN, IBCLC, RLC