Driving Change: Our Current Projects

PROJECT #1

Infant & Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E)

Protecting Texas Babies During Disasters

Key Talking Points for Advocates & Policymakers:

Infants are among the most vulnerable during disasters. They require safe feeding—either through breastfeeding or clean formula preparation.
Most emergency response systems do not account for infant feeding needs, leading to dangerous gaps during floods, power outages, wildfires, and hurricanes.
The CDC, FEMA, and U.S. Breastfeeding Committee recommend emergency preparedness plans include infant and young child feeding (IYCF-E).
Breastfeeding protects against infection, provides safe food and water, and is especially critical when access to clean water, power, or formula is disrupted.
Emergency responders, health departments, and shelters often lack training or guidelines to support families safely feeding babies.
Texas should fund an IYCF-E training and toolkit through DSHS to ensure counties are prepared to support families in emergencies.
This issue is bipartisan, life-saving, and long overdue. We must protect babies in every emergency plan.

Ask your legislators to support IYCF-E policy in the 2025 special session of the Texas Legislature.

PROJECT #2

Landscape Analysis: Texas Lactation Services

Integrating community provider voices to ensure successful policy implementation of Texas HB 136, Medicaid reimbursement for Lactation Services

Conduct research and interviews to identify:

(1) the geographic and functional landscape of lactation care providers in Texas,

(2) current barriers to lactation care providers providing reimbursable care to individuals needing outpatient clinical lactation care, and

(3) recommendations, including policy or operational changes, to advance the successful implementation of HB 136.