Why Benefits Access Is Breastfeeding Policy in Durham
In Durham County, we often talk about breastfeeding as a health issue. But for many families, the biggest barriers to breastfeeding have less to do with knowledge and more to do with access.
It’s hard to focus on feeding your baby when groceries are running low, health coverage keeps dropping off, or it takes hours—sometimes days—to navigate benefits paperwork in a language that isn’t your own. In Durham, especially for Black, Latine, immigrant, and mixed-status families, these challenges are part of everyday life.
That’s why Breastfeed Durham treats benefits access as breastfeeding policy.
2026 meeting dates (Eastern): Friday, September 11, 9:30–11:00 a.m. · Friday, October 9, 9:30–10:30 a.m. · Friday, December 11, 9:30–10:30 a.m.
Join at https://duke.zoom.us/j/99217806338, Meeting ID 992 1780 6338. The meeting room is passcode-protected. If you would like to attend, please email Derek Uejo at derek.uejo@duke.edu for the passcode.
Follow the Coalition
Not everyone has the capacity to sit on a working group, and that is fine. The Coalition now has a community email list carrying working group updates, community events, and resources on benefits access. Sign up for Coalition updates.
The Coalition just passed its first anniversary and is asking people who have taken part what is working and what is not, including whether we are emailing you too much. If you have attended a DBAC event, sat in a working group, or followed along from a distance, the year-in survey is open.
durhambenefits.org Is the Home for This Work
Going forward, everything about the Durham Benefits Access Coalition (DBAC) lives at durhambenefits.org: meeting information, working groups, resources, volunteer opportunities, and updates. This page is an introduction to why Breastfeed Durham is part of the Coalition, but durhambenefits.org is where the work happens. Founded in early 2025, DBAC is dedicated to ensuring that all Durham County residents can access critical safety net benefits, and works collaboratively to close the gaps in benefit access for marginalized communities in Durham.
Benefits Left on the Table
- $80 million in unutilized benefits in Durham
- $2,977 average Earned Income Tax Credit
- 20% of SNAP-eligible families without access
- 3 active working groups
Resource Alert: NC Medicaid Changes
New rules are coming for NC Medicaid, and community organizations can help people know what is changing and what they can do now. NCDHHS has released the Know What’s Next toolkit with ready-to-use flyers, social media posts, a rack card, and a wallet card in English and Spanish. Medicaid recipients can check whether work or activity rules apply to them at medicaid.nc.gov/changes (en español: medicaid.nc.gov/cambios), keep documents like pay stubs, school records, and benefit letters, make sure their local DSS has their current contact information, and set up an enhanced ePASS account for uploading proof.
Get Involved
Tax Time: Durham needs partners to help make tax time a success. Volunteers can get VITA certified to prepare simple tax returns, help from home with calls and scheduling, greet at tax sites, or make sure neighbors know they can file for free. Fill out the Tax Time volunteer interest form on the Coalition website.
Working groups: DBAC has three working groups you can volunteer with. Sign up for a working group.
The Reality Families Face
Telling families that “breastfeeding is healthy” isn’t enough if they can’t access food, breast pumps, paid leave, or follow-up care. When SNAP, WIC, or Medicaid coverage is delayed or lost due to administrative churn, breastfeeding becomes harder to start—and even harder to sustain.
In Durham, economic stability and infant feeding are deeply connected.
A Durham-Grown Solution
To address this gap, Breastfeed Durham co-leads the Durham Benefits Access Coalition, a cross-system collaboration that includes Durham County DSS, Duke Health, Lincoln Community Health Center, the Durham Board of County Commissioners, and trusted community-based organizations.
The goal is simple but powerful: make sure Durham residents can actually enroll in and keep the benefits they qualify for, without being blocked by red tape, fear of system contact, or preventable errors.
This work builds on Durham’s long tradition of community-driven problem solving and cross-sector collaboration.
What We’re Changing—Together
Through the Coalition, Breastfeed Durham and our partners are working to:
- Reduce administrative barriers and error-related terminations in SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid
- Integrate benefits screening and referrals into healthcare, early childhood, and school-based settings across Durham
- Strengthen language access, cultural responsiveness, and protections for immigrant families
- Pilot data-sharing and technology tools that simplify enrollment and reduce coverage gaps
These changes may sound technical—but for families, they mean fewer dropped benefits, fewer missed appointments, and more stability during pregnancy and early parenthood.
Why Durham Matters
Durham County is serving as the pilot for this approach. Our goal is not just to improve systems locally, but to demonstrate what’s possible when counties treat food security and economic stability as essential to breastfeeding success.
By aligning benefits access with family health, Durham is helping to shape a model that can be replicated across North Carolina—one that supports parents where they are and recognizes that breastfeeding-friendly communities are built through policy, not just education.
At Breastfeed Durham, we believe that when families have access to the resources they need, breastfeeding becomes less about overcoming barriers and more about choice, dignity, and support.