Please join us for a free webinar on Tuesday, August 18 in honor of National Breastfeeding Month. 

We're grateful to the SAFE Team for lending their expertise for this webinar! 

Register for the webinar here. The webinar will not be recorded.

Note: Continuing education credits were not applied for. However, non-approved educational sessions may still be counted in certain circumstances. See this guide for more information.

Abstract

This session will define infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E) and the importance of implementing IYCF-E. Using the SAFE (Support and Advocacy for Feeding in Emergencies) Team model, the author aims to highlight the responsibility of the infant feeding specialist in supporting infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E), including the infant feeding specialist's role in both disaster preparedness, response, and recovery while focusing on equity, interprofessional IYCF-E education, training, and collaboration. Participants will learn how to use the CDC IYCF-E Toolkit and Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) to support their own communities. This model was developed by the North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition (NCBfC) in response to the Hurricane Helene disaster in Western NC.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to describe the hierarchy of safe infant feeding as it relates to working with infants, young children, and families in crisis situations.
2. Identify three key challenges for families with infants and young children when faced with emergency situations.
3. Participants will be able to identify three key components of the CDC IYCF-E Toolkit + Rapid Needs Assessment and demonstrate how to implement these resources during an active disaster response.
4. Apply problem-solving strategies to reduce risks in infant feeding, specifically when confronted with limited supplies, challenging environmental conditions, and complex ethical considerations during emergency response.

Presenter: Ashley Mickelson, M.S., CCC-SLP, SLP, IBCLC

Ashley Mickelson, M.S., CCC-SLP, IBCLC, is a visionary leader who is strategically leveraging her clinical expertise to build the next generation of disaster response infrastructure. With a highly specialized background as a medical Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), she focuses on the critical, complex intersection of feeding and swallowing across the lifespan. Ashley is pioneering the integration of these medical specialties into the chaotic environment of disaster relief.

She has served as a pivotal digital coordinator for the SAFE Team and an infant feeding specialist in disaster response, recognizing that data management and seamless, behind-the-scenes communication are essential for saving lives. Her commitment extends to IYCF-E research and collaborative work with state agencies, establishing her as a rising expert. Ashley currently sits as a subject-matter expert on the VOAD Children and Disasters Subcommittee, where she champions proactive preparedness, demonstrating the foresight necessary to ensure vulnerable infants receive specialized, high-quality care, transforming temporary relief into long-term systemic resilience.