Healthy Savannah Observes Third Year of CDC REACH Grant Progress with Expanded Breastfeeding Support

(SAVANNAH, Ga.) September 11, 2026, Healthy Savannah is recognizing the advancement of breastfeeding promotion, support and acceptance across Chatham County as it marks the conclusion of the third year of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Grant period on September 30, 2026.

During the past twelve months, Healthy Savannah and community partners advanced practical, visible efforts to make breastfeeding information easier to access and to ensure families feel welcomed and supported in public spaces, workplaces, community organizations and neighborhood gathering places.

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Key highlights of the year included a La Leche League-related grant that supported donations of "The Art of Breastfeeding" to local libraries and expanded participation in Healthy Savannah's "Breastfeeding Welcome Here" campaign. The initiative gained additional visibility following the release of a Healthy Savannah-produced video in spring 2026 and a celebration of breastfeeding moms and their supporters during World Breastfeeding Week in August 2026.

Through the La Leche grant effort, Healthy Savannah donated 75 copies of the renowned book, "The Art of Breastfeeding," to the Live Oak Public Libraries system and partner organizations across Savannah and Chatham County. In offering this resource free to the public, Healthy Savannah strove to advance access to trusted, family-friendly breastfeeding education materials for parents, caregivers, health advocates and community members. The donation also supported the organization's broader goal of reducing barriers to breastfeeding information and ensuring that families can find practical guidance in familiar, accessible public spaces.

"Making high-quality breastfeeding resources available through local libraries is a simple but powerful way to meet families where they are," said Dr. Elsie Smalls, Healthy Savannah's REACH Team Breastfeeding program manager. "When parents and caregivers can easily find reliable information, they are better equipped to make informed decisions and receive support throughout their breastfeeding journey."

Healthy Savannah also reported increased participation by businesses and organizations over the past year in its "Breastfeeding Welcome Here" campaign, launched in 2025, which encourages public-facing locations to visibly affirm that breastfeeding families are welcome. More than 25 sites have since been recognized for complying with Georgia's breastfeeding and lactation laws, including the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act and Title IX protections for lactating students.

"Businesses and organizations that provide dedicated lactation spaces and supportive policies based on the PUMP Act send a strong message to employees that they care about their needs," said Smalls.

The campaign additionally received a boost in spring 2026 when Healthy Savannah produced and shared a public service announcement on social media and local government channels spotlighting the importance of breastfeeding-friendly spaces and the role businesses and organizations can play in supporting maternal and child health. The one-minute video was hosted by Savannah Downtown Business Association director Mia Mance and is available online at healthysavannah.org/our-programs/breastfeeding/

Healthy Savannah wrapped up year three efforts, partnering with the Coastal Health District during World Breastfeeding Week in August, to celebrate breastfeeding moms and their supporters. The free event held August 1 at the Pennsylvania Avenue Recreation Center featured displays and giveaways from local partners, breastfeeding education, sign-ups for local nutrition assistance programs like WIC, a celebration walk, and more.

"Breastfeeding acceptance is about more than awareness," said Armand Turner, executive director of Healthy Savannah. "It is about creating everyday environments where families feel respected, welcomed and supported. We are grateful to the businesses, libraries, organizations and partners who are helping make that vision a reality."

The breastfeeding promotion and acceptance work is part of Healthy Savannah's ongoing implementation of the CDC REACH Grant, a national initiative designed to improve health, prevent chronic disease and reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. In Chatham County, Healthy Savannah's REACH work also includes strategies that support nutrition security, physical activity and stronger community environments for health.

"These and all of Healthy Savannah's accomplishments during the past year, and every year since Healthy Savannah received its first REACH grant in 2018, reflect our continued commitment to sustainable systems change by increasing opportunities and availability of healthy resources and education," said Turner. "In other words, making the healthy choice should also be the easy choice."

Community businesses and organizations interested in joining the "Breastfeeding Welcome Here" campaign can contact Healthy Savannah at healthysavannah.org/our-programs/breastfeeding/ for more information.

ABOUT HEALTHY SAVANNAH

Healthy Savannah is a 501©(3) public charity and a public-private coalition of more than 200 businesses, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, schools, neighborhood organizations, and healthcare and government agencies. The organization leads and supports a culture of health in the Savannah area by:

• Creating environments that make the healthy choice the easy choice
• Building collaborative networks that identify and share resources
  
• Collecting and disseminating data and best practices
  
• Implementing innovative programs
  
• Advocating for effective, evidence-based policies
  

Since its inception in 2007, this innovative, cross-sector collaboration has delivered lasting community benefits through numerous multi-agency projects, grants, and policy initiatives, including the Smoke Free Air Ordinance that has protected Savannah's residents since its adoption in 2011.

Healthy Savannah was honored in 2026 with the Outstanding Partner Award from Georgia Southern University's Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health and in 2022 with the CDC's REACH Lark Galloway-Gilliam Award for Advancing Health Equity. Funded by the CDC's Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Program, Healthy Savannah is working to support sustainable health equity for racial and ethnic minority populations in low-wealth neighborhoods, with a focus on nutrition, physical activity, and breastfeeding.