Community Involvement

The Florida Department of Health has developed the following free downloadable resources to promote a healthy pregnancy.

*Note: This page contains materials in the Portable Document Format (PDF). The free Adobe Reader may be required to view these files.

One of the most highly effective preventive measures a mother can take to protect the health of her infant is to breastfeed. In the United States, although most mothers hope to breastfeed, and 79% of babies start out being breastfed, only 19% are exclusively breastfed 6 months later. Additionally, rates are significantly lower for African-American infants.

The success rate among mothers who want to breastfeed can be greatly improved through active support from their families, friends, communities, clinicians, health care leaders, employers, and policymakers.

For more information on how communities can empower women to breastfeed, visit the CDC Communities page.

How does Florida rank?  Visit the CDC Breastfeeding Report Card 2020 to find out.

Discover how WIC promotes breastfeeding by viewing their Breastfeeding Fact Sheet.

Florida Statute 390.0111(3) (2011) requires the Florida Department of Health to provide "printed materials" to physicians engaged in terminations of pregnancies. These materials are to be made available to a patient prior to the termination of a pregnancy. These materials titled "Fetal Development and Alternatives to Terminating a Pregnancy" include a description of the fetus at various stages of development, referral information for entities offering alternatives to terminating a pregnancy and information on medical assistance benefits for prenatal care, childbirth, and neonatal care. The printed materials are available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole for downloading and printing.

English             Spanish          Creole

The printed materials are also incorporated by reference in rule 64F-23.001, Florida Administrative Code. The administrative rule, which also contains links to the printed materials, can be found on the Florida Department of State website.

Further information on informed consent for termination of pregnancy can be found in section 390.0111, Florida Statutes.

The Preeclampsia Signs and Symptoms Pad (English/Spanish) is a 50 sheet pad with English language on one side and Spanish language on the other side.  It is written at a 5^th grade level and is offered through the Preeclampsia Foundation.  For ordering information, visit the Preeclampsia Foundation Patient Education website.

Text4baby offers promotional items to encourage use of this free consumer educational resource in your area. To place an order, visit the Text4baby Digital Storefront. Some Text4baby items are free.

To find out how your organization can become involved with Text4baby, visit their Action for Partners page.