Improving Continuity of Care in Chest/Breastfeeding Support throughout IL Learning Collaborative
Purpose
This award is to support organizations interacting with pregnant and parenting families to improve breastfeeding support, continuity of care resources or services, and equity with historically excluded communities. Funding provided in whole by IDPH, the Office of Women’s Health, Title V.
Eligibility
Community-based and non-profit organizations, local government agencies, and healthcare providers that provide support, resources, and services for prenatal, labor/delivery, and/or postpartum families in Illinois are eligible to apply.
Priority will be given to organizations engaging diverse communities working to create multiple small changes or one larger policy/systems change to improve breastfeeding support, continuity of care and equity. Teams that include both clinical and community-based organizations will be given priority.
Applications
Short application form identifying:
• Person(s) participating in peer learning calls
• Basic information about the organizations and interest in this program
• Due by email to IPHI November 3rd, 2023 5:00pm CST
• Submit to marthamargaret.cotton@iphionline.org with subject line “Improving CoC BF
Support in IL Application.”
• Awardees notified by November 15th, 2023
Award Value
- A $20,000 award to the team’s lead applicant organization
- Connection to experts and peers working to improve breastfeeding support and equity through four collaborative peer-learning and action planning meetings and a statewide listserv.
- Technical assistance from staff at the IPHI to facilitate making sustainable policy, systems or environmental changes at the organizations to support breastfeeding. This assistance includes but is not limited to facilitating peer-to-peer sharing and problem-solving, supporting the development of action plans, providing resources, and making connections to other individuals and organizations.
Outcomes
Teams of at least two organizations will work together to implement sustainable policy, systems, or environmental (PSE) changes to improve support for breastfeeding in their community, with a focus on the connections between support resources (continuity of care)
and equity.
Participating organizations will be required to attend four peer-learning calls and two additional technical assistance calls. These calls will support the teams to implement sustainable changes to improve chest/breastfeeding support/continuity of care and strengthen the connection of their team to benefit their communities. Applicants will also participate in required evaluation activities that will include tracking the demographics of the population served.
Priority Communities
- Prenatal families
- Communities with lowest breastfeeding initiation rates (below 70%)
- BIPOC communities
- Rural communities
- Low-income communities
Resources