Gubernatorial Candidate Wayne Turner’s Vision for a Breastfeeding Family Friendly State

Wayne Turner, Gubernatorial Candidate for North Carolina Green Party

Summary of Wayne’s Responses

Support the implementation of breastfeeding-friendly policies across communities in NC

I would make state support for adherence to the PUMP Act
and related law a part of the state’s presentation and solicitation of
prospective employers who are thinking about starting a business or
relocating to North Carolina. We should not advertise as a haven for
companies who have a history of avoidance of labor regulations. I would
also lobby for state law that at least met the standards of the PUMP Act
in providing expectant and nursing mothers with appropriate breaks and
facilities to breastfeed or pump breast milk. Enforcement could then
rest with the state department of labor, which may add observations of
compliance to existing workplace inspections and decrease hesitancy to
report violations.

Addressing the growing maternal health crisis

A budget from my administration would cover the necessary expansion in
services to begin to reduce maternal mortality rates. I will use the
office of the governor to make public the moral and humanistic
imperative of providing these services, and to inform the people of the
state of the numerical realities maternal mortality, as a means of
putting public pressure on the general assembly to provide more humane
budgets.

 Reduce the racial and economic disparities in access to healthcare and lactation support

The state should be offering incentives to medical professionals to
practice in areas other than the wealthy urban centers like the
Triangle, Triad and Charlotte-Mecklenburg regions. This could be in the
form of support for reducing student debt, which many medical
professionals now assume as a matter of course to attend colleges and
universities for the required training. State support for building
medical facilities and offices would reduce the startup costs of new
practices.

Numerous studies have also made clear that the healthcare system in the
US in general has maintained institutional practices from previous
periods that effectively discriminate against non-white patients.
Identifying and eliminating these practices through education and
training could help to reduce maternal mortality rates among non-white
mothers. The governors office can and should order DHHS to assess the
prevalence of these practices in North Carolina, and develop a plan to
eliminate them.

Another important action would be to oppose the ability of private
equity to buy medical practices and hospitals, then close them after
profitability falls below some level. Any practice or facility not owned
by the public is liable to fall prey to equity investors. I would urge
the general assembly to designate healthcare providers and hospitals as
off-limits to purchase or sale by such investors.

Prioritization and taking actions to establish NC as a breastfeeding-friendly state

My administration will review existing state efforts to create a
breastfeeding-friendly state and determine whether further efforts
should be mandated through executive order, the establishment of a panel
or commission to address efforts to that end, or both. A budget
originating from my office will include monies that could be allocated
by statute to aid businesses and employers in establishing
lactation-friendly workplaces through tax credits or grants. I would
urge the general assembly to pass such legislation and educate the
public as to the reasons why this legislation is of benefit to the
state.

This blog article was written by the Breastfeed Durham Team, who is dedicated to promoting breastfeeding, cheastfeeding, and human milk feeding support and healthcare equity in Durham and beyond. Stay tuned for more updates on this important issue.