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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR	Sanchez, B		DATE TYPED	2/5/04		HB
SHORT TITLE		Lactation Clinic Services & Supplies				SB	337/aSPAC
					ANALYST		Dunbar

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained		Estimated Additional Impact		Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
FY04	FY05	FY04	FY05
	$250.0			Recurring	General Fund

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of SPAC Amendment

The Senate Public Affairs Committee amendment increases the appropriation from $100,000 to $250,000.

Synopsis of Original Bill

Senate Bill 337 appropriates $100,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Health for expenditure in fiscal year 2005 to fund a lactation clinic to be staffed by lactation consultants and specialists. The bill also provides for ancillary costs, including supplies, to assist low-income, uninsured and other mothers to breastfeed their children for an appropriate period of time.

Significant Issues

SB337 supports breastfeeding mothers in NM. Breastfeeding is associated with infant health and maternal health. The Healthy People Objectives for 2010 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) included increasing the percentage of mothers who breastfeed in the early postpartum period from 64% (in 1998) to 75%; increase percent of mothers breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum from 29% to 50%; and mothers breastfeeding at 1 year postpartum from 16% to 25%. These objectives are consistent with World Health Organization recommendations.

Although year 2000 New Mexico data from the Department of Health show 79.9% of mothers in the state initiate breastfeeding, only 63% of low-income WIC mothers initiated breastfeeding. Department of Health data shows 69.4% of statewide mothers continued for at least 9 weeks postpartum, and only 64.7 % of WIC mothers continued for 9 weeks.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $100.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 05 shall revert to the General Fund.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation in SB337 could be managed with current staff.

SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

Research has well proven that breastfeeding is the optimum feeding choice for mothers and their children. Breastfeeding offers infants many health benefits as noted by DOH:

q It provides protection against infections, allergies, and even certain neoplasms. Babies not fed human milk are more likely to be hospitalized in the first year of life due to serious bacterial illness;

q Lower rates of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, allergic disease and asthma, leukemia and lymphomas, and inflammatory bowel disease later in life. Children who were not breastfed have also been shown to score lower on IQ tests, and premature infants who are fed breast milk have better visual acuity than those fed formula.

Breastfeeding also provides mothers with health benefits. It prevents maternal anemia and may also provide the mother with a delayed return to fertility, allowing child spacing. Women who have a significant lifetime history of breastfeeding have lower rates of ovarian, endometrial, and breast cancer compared to the general population

While all County MCH Councils work to create community infrastructure to promote breastfeeding, only two of the 28 Councils with approved County MCH Plans receive specific funding for breastfeeding services.

The Department of Health Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program promotes breastfeeding to low income women as the optimum infant feeding choice and supports them through normal breastfeeding experiences. High-risk WIC clients who are experiencing difficult problems with breastfeeding are then referred to a Certified Lactation Consultant which in most cases is an unaffordable or inaccessible service for WIC clients. When women don’t have access to appropriate breastfeeding support, they often stop breastfeeding. This legislation would create a valuable referral source for WIC clients who need more specialized, professional breastfeeding expertise from a Certified Lactation Consultant, and would result in increased continuation of breastfeeding.

BD/yr:njw