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, which ultimately leads to 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 mothers 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 Centers for Health) will look at the challenges faced by this population in emergency situations and best practices for supporting them during the emergency.

Funding for this training has been made available through the North Carolina WIC LATCH (Lactation Area Training Centers for Health).

Target Audience

Emergency Preparedness Coordinators, Emergency Preparedness Staff, Nurses, Nutritionists, Social Workers, Peer Support

Objectives

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

• Describe the risks to families with infants and young children during an emergency
• Mitigate the risks to families with infants and young children during an emergency
• Identify the standards for shelters/distribution centers assisting families during an emergency
• Explain CDC Guidelines for protecting infants and young children 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