Our Mission

To develop and implement a comprehensive, community-wide plan to increase the rate of breastfeeding initiation and duration of exclusivity among women in Harris County.

Our Vision

Goals of the Coalition

Community organizations/agencies will work together to increase breastfeeding rates and eliminate disparity in this critical public health indicator.
Women who breastfeed will have access to culturally appropriate prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum support and information.
Assure consistent, periodic, reliable monitoring of breastfeeding behaviors among women in Harris County, Texas.
Enhance community and professional awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and knowledge of optimal breastfeeding support practices.

Who We Are

Initial members include Harris County Hospital District (HCHD), USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC), Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services WIC Program (HCPHES), and Houston Department of Health & Human Services WIC Program (HDHHS).

Membership in the coalition is continunally expanding. To see the current of members, see Member Organizations.

Why We Are

Harris County lacks a coordinated, organized effort to increase breastfeeding rates in minority women. In-hospital support for breastfeeding women is expanding rapidly in private hospitals - Woman's Hospital of Texas has 11 full time Lactation Consultants - while public hospitals have none. There is no significant contact with nursing mothers during the most critical early postpartum period - WIC programs see women in the prenatal period and at 2 months postpartum. Postpartum minority women do not make or keep follow-up appointments. There is no significant peer counselor program in the District, and the City and County programs need expanding. TDH breastfeeding training does not meet the need by a large margin and there is a lack of supervised clinical experience/internships. Most workers in social service organizations that interface with nursing mothers are not trained to provide support or referrals. Finally, there is little research-based data about breastfeeding practices of minority women in Harris County.

What We Do

The Coalition will develop and implement a comprehensive, community wide plan to increase the rate of breastfeeding initiation and duration of exclusivity among minority women in Harris County.

How We Do It

The HCBC will work with community agencies, organizations, and lay groups to:

• Train professionals and laypersons to assist minority women who breastfeed their babies.


• Increase community awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding.


• Increase the availability of knowledgeable support persons in the prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum period.


• Facilitate change in community and hospital programs to more effectively support the breastfeeding couplet.


• Collect and analyze data about breastfeeding rates for minority women.


• Facilitate dissemination of culturally appropriate information about breastfeeding.


• Provide assistance and information to other groups seeking to replicate the work of the HCBC.

Where We Do It

Throughout Harris County to include:

• HCHD Clinic and Hospitals


• HCPHES Clinics & WIC sites


• HDHHS Clinics and WIC sites


• Community Agencies


• Community Centers


• Businesses


• Churches


• Social Service Agencies