Waukesha County Starts New Breastfeeding Coalition

WAUKESHA, WI — The Waukesha County Department of Health and Human Services is announcing the formation of the Breastfeeding Coalition of Waukesha County - the first of its kind in the County. Organizers say the Coalition will fill a gap within Waukesha County by serving as a collective, consistent source of information and providing strong advocacy for breastfeeding moms and families.

Mary Jo Hamman, WIC Program Supervisor, and Public Health Nurse Heather Heard will serve as Co-Chairs for the Coalition.

The initial kick-off meeting of the Coalition on June 5, 2018 was attended by more than 30 representatives from various metro area healthcare systems, along with home-visiting programs, local nonprofit organizations, government agencies, area breastfeeding moms, and others.

The first project for the Coalition will be participation in ‘The Global Big Latch On’, an event duplicated throughout the globe to connect families with each other and normalize breastfeeding in public as part of everyday life.

The event in Waukesha County will be held at the Brookfield Farmers’ Market, 2000 N. Calhoun Rd, Brookfield, on Saturday, August 4 during World Breastfeeding Week. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. The Latch On begins at 10:30 a.m.

To register for the event, go to: https://biglatchon.org/apps/location-detail/?location_id=2157.

The Coalition seeks organizations and individuals who have interest in becoming founding members. Coalition meetings will be held the first Tuesday of the month, 8:30-10 a.m., at the Waukesha County Health & Human Services Center, 514 Riverview Ave, Waukesha.

Discussion will continue on identifying Board officers, forming an Advisory Committee to work on the structure of the Coalition, and creating a Charter.

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