WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK
2024
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, breastfeeding is vital for infant survival and development, enhancing brain growth, and reducing health risks and obesity; and
WHEREAS, paid leave significantly contributes to parental recovery and bonding, boosting maternal health, increasing breastfeeding rates, and reducing infant mortality, thereby underscoring the importance of supportive workplace policies for sustaining breastfeeding practices; and
WHEREAS, Governor Roy Cooper's Executive Order Number 95 provides paid parental leave for State employees and has been further strengthened by the North Carolina State Legislature, extending these benefits to include staff at State institutions and creating a more inclusive support system for new parents across various sectors; and
WHEREAS, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), in collaboration with the Child and Adult Care Food Program under North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, demonstrates a strong commitment to breastfeeding, with approximately 78 percent of WIC parents initiating breastfeeding, highlighting the effectiveness of integrated support and recognition initiatives in healthcare and childcare settings; and
WHEREAS, the passage of House Bill 76, Greater Access to Healthcare Options, signifies a monumental step forward in Medicaid expansion, thereby increasing access to breastfeeding support and resources for a broader segment of North Carolinians, enhancing overall breastfeeding initiation and duration rates; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina's participation in the global celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, alongside the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action and the United States Breastfeeding Committee, emphasizes the state's dedication to "Closing the gap: breastfeeding support for all," aiming to ensure universal support for breastfeeding families;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim August 1 – 7, 2024, as “WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
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Roy Cooper
Governor
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this thirtieth day of July in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth