The Wonders of WIC
Breastfeeding
|
|
Since its beginnings the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC, has provided vital pre- and post-natal services to millions of moms, infants and young children through our state and local partners across the Northeast Region.
The Wonders of WIC is our way of capturing and sharing out your successes, your innovations and your people. In this edition we spotlight one of the Wonders of WIC…breastfeeding.
|
|
From the Desk of
Regional Administrator Lizbeth Silbermann
|
Every August the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announces the WIC Breastfeeding Awards of Excellence as part of our efforts to celebrate and acknowledge the work of local WIC agencies to promote breastfeeding. This year we are pleased to announce 18 award winners in the region from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. We’re especially thrilled to have the only Elite award winner in the country; Vermont’s Morrisville WIC Program. We also recognize state agencies with high percentages of fully breasted infants with Breastfeeding Performance Bonus Awards. Vermont and Indian Township were among 15 state agencies to receive an award for sustained high breastfeeding rates among WIC participants during FY22. Congratulations to all our award winners.
Our annual breastfeeding edition of the Wonders of WIC newsletter is an opportunity for us to shine a light on you starting with a feature story on Amanda Couture, a WIC breastfeeding peer counselor from East Providence, RI. Spotlights from around the region showcase the creative ways local agencies promote breastfeeding and engage with the community. Get to know two of our WIC staff, Scotlyn Sunkel and Peggy Leung-Strle, a little better. And finally, I would call your attention to a set of videos created following our regional WIC partner meeting. It was the first opportunity the attendees had to meet in person since before the pandemic. They graciously shared their thoughts, which you can access via this newsletter.
In closing, I want to thank you all for your continued efforts to support, sustain and
promote breastfeeding.
|
|
Spotlight - RI WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor |
|
|
|
Amanda Couture, WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, East Bay Community Action Program has been working in the Rhode Island WIC Program almost 7 years. Starting as an intake specialist/support staff at the Bristol clinic, “I’d hear our Breastfeeding Peer Counselors talking to moms and it really piqued my interest as I faced challenges when trying to breastfeed my children,” said Couture. “I’d think if only I had known that information and had somebody to help me the way they are helping moms, I would have been able to work through my challenges earlier and breastfeed longer.”
Couture said she was always asking the Breastfeeding Peer Counselors questions and when a position opened up in East Providence, the WIC Director thought she’d be a good fit. “When I started at WIC, I didn’t know it was going to become my life’s work, but it’s become a passion for me.”
|
|
WIC Client Testimonials about Amanda |
“I was going through a tough pregnancy and if it wasn’t for my girl Amanda from WIC teaching me and wiping away my tears to help me nurse my son, which I wanted to do more than ever to be a full-time nursing mother, she made this all possible. She was more than a WIC caseworker, she was my friend.” - TH
“Thank you Amanda. You have helped me become more confident as a breastfeeding mom. When I couldn’t turn to anyone in my family for support, I knew I could call and text you and you would be right there to push me over that hump or make my frown turn into a smile. Through COVID and my postpartum depression you became close family.” - SG
“Amanda is incredible. I had a very traumatizing birth story that was extremely different from our plan. I found breastfeeding very challenging and reached out to Amanda. She answered all my questions and told me to take it day by day. She was the most thoughtful and genuine person. In the office, she gave us all sorts of awesome goodies, did a whole feeding session, and didn’t rush at all. She ensured baby’s latch was perfect, gave me tips, tricks & encouraged how good I was doing.” - AC
|
|
WIC Breastfeeding Awards of Excellence |
|
Each August the US Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announces the WIC Breastfeeding Awards of Excellence. These awards recognize local WIC agencies that have
implemented exemplary breastfeeding promotion and support activities and serve as models for other local agencies to strengthen breastfeeding among WIC participants.
This year FNS recognizes 125 awardees – 111 Gold, 13 Premier and 1 Elite.
The Northeast regional winners are listed below. We are proud of our regional winners and are honored to have the only Elite winner in the country!
|
|
Vermont Department of Health -
Morrisville Office of Local Health WIC Program, Morrisville, VT
|
|
|
|
Vermont Department of Health -
St. Johnsbury Office of Local Health WIC Program,
St. Johnsbury, VT
|
|
|
|
Vermont Department of Health -
Barre Office of Local Health WIC Program,
Barre, VT
|
|
|
|
Springfield North WIC Program, Springfield, MA
|
|
Franklin/
Hampshire/
North Quabbin WIC Program, Greenfield, MA
|
|
Taunton/
Attleboro WIC Program, Taunton, MA
|
|
Scalabrini Dukcevich Center WIC Program, Providence, RI |
|
Day Kimball Hospital WIC Program, Putnam, CT |
|
Research Foundation of SUNY Stony Brook WIC Program, East Setauket, NY |
|
Coney Island Hospital WIC Program, Brooklyn, NY |
|
Urban Health Plan WIC Program, Bronx, NY |
|
Morrisania Diagnostic & Treatment Center WIC Program, Bronx, NY |
|
Commission on Economic Opportunity WIC Program, Troy, NY |
|
Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center WIC Program,
Albany, NY
|
|
Community Action Program for Madison County WIC Program, Utica, NY |
|
Tompkins County WIC Program, Ithaca, NY |
|
Anthony L. Jordan Health Center WIC Program, Rochester, NY |
|
Essex County WIC Program, Elizabethtown, NY |
|
Breastfeeding Month Amplification |
|
Each August and September across New England, New York and the US Virgin Islands celebrations are held to highlight National Breastfeeding Month, World Breastfeeding Week, National WIC Breastfeeding Week, Indigenous Milk Medicine Week, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week, Black Breastfeeding Week and Semana de La Lactancia Latina.
(The posts are courtesy of featured social media sites)
|
|
Rhode Island
RI Department of Health posts about family-friendly workplace policies.
|
|
USDA
USDA tweets WIC breastfeeding resources for families traveling.
|
|
Connecticut
CT Department of Public Health tweets a breastfeeding support testimonial from a WIC mom.
|
|
US Virgin Islands
USVI WIC posts about the benefits of breastfeeding.
|
|
New York
NY State Department of Health posts about WIC breastfeeding support.
|
|
Vermont
VT Department of Health tweets a shoutout to breastfeeding/chestfeeding parents.
|
|
New Hampshire
NH Department of Health and Human Services tweets WIC resources for pregnant moms.
|
|
Massachusetts
MA WIC Nutrition Program tweets a breastfeeding video.
|
|
Maine
Western Maine Community Action posts a few ways WIC supports breastfeeding parents.
|
|
(June 20-22) The Northeast Region hosted a WIC partner meeting in Boston for state WIC directors and partner staff, and representatives from FNS’ national and regional offices.
The attendees had the opportunity to collaborate and discuss program priorities, hot issues, challenges, lessons learned and best practices. It was the first opportunity attendees have had to meet in person since before the pandemic. The Region was especially pleased the U.S. Virgin Islands and Pleasant Point were able to attend.
This meeting was captured in a 4-part video series where participants shared their experiences.
|
|
|
Breastfeeding Curriculum Collaboration Year 2 |
|
Background
In 2022, FNS launched a new WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum. The training consists of more than 45 hours of training over 4 levels, for all WIC staff. In the Northeast, Vermont WIC proposed collaborating with neighboring states on a virtual training platform.
Breastfeeding coordinators from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, US Virgin Islands, and Connecticut collaborated with FNS’ Northeast regional office team to learn, plan and conduct all aspects of this virtual training. By May 2022, training was underway. Click here to read the initial article.
Update
We wanted to hear more about this and get some insights into the collaborative process and outcomes so we spoke with one of the trainers, Marilyn Lonczak, Connecticut WIC breastfeeding coordinator. We also surveyed some WIC staff that participated in the training. Here’s the update.
Insights from one of the trainers
The 2022 Spring sessions were more of a learning curve. “And to put it in context we launched this training in the midst of the formula crisis, so we were prioritizing maintaining our participants’ access to feeding their babies,” said Lonczak. “While things had calmed down somewhat in the Fall, it was still with us so some staff deferred training to ensure our clinics were fully staffed.”
From the trainers’ perspective, each had different levels of expertise with the material so particularly for Levels 3 and 4 there was new content to learn. “The regional logistics support was really important as that allowed us to focus more on the content and make sure folks really understood the material and were comfortable presenting,” said Lonczak.
Along the way, the trainers modified the content to keep pace with the latest science. “We modified for the new mastitis protocol, which just came out between the spring and fall training sessions," said Lonczak. "Updates were made following the passage of the Pump Act and with the revised AAP guidelines as well.”
Another improvement made was gathering questions from the chat and providing a FAQ document for Levels 1-4, so people have links and references to questions asked during training even if they weren’t in that session. “We all worked together answering the questions and reviewing the document to ensure we were staying consistent,” said Lonczak. “Now when a question comes up, we can refer back to what was provided, and we’ll update the FAQs annually.”
Lonczak explained how the collaboration allowed for the team to tap into or defer to one another’s skills. While the training platform at first seemed daunting to some, it turned out to be fairly easy with some practice with everything at your fingertips. Responding to some sporadic technology glitches and to better manage their time, “We’ve devised a backup system,” said Lonczak. “So everyone has a section and they have a backup presenter who can step in. The first iteration, the trainers were on the entire time, whether they were presenting or not. Now we’ve been able to manage things so trainers are on their training day, which has helped state agencies manage their time better.
FNS’ regional office has been able to step back a little too; they're still doing some logistical things, but they're not on every training, as we’ve become more adept to the flow and process.” Lonczak explained the trainers debrief after ever level to determine improvements for the next level.
Lonczak said she learned a lot observing other trainers’ presentations styles and how her colleagues, particularly Carrie Louch in Maine, was a dynamic speaker, skilled at putting people at ease, and going with the flow. She said it's beneficial when trainers also brought some practical experience to their session. “Lori Goeschel in Connecticut covered the premature section because she really likes the topic and has firsthand experience,” Lonczak said as an example.
Lonczak said the virtual training does allow opportunities for interactivity with participants coming off mute and asking questions on the Teams platform, pointing to the positive feedback received from participants about the case studies and other interactive components of the training.
The collaborative is thinking a lot about sustainability moving forward. A major goal is to continue offering continuing education credits.
“Another benefit of having the regional collaborative training,” said Lonczak, “is local programs understand it’s not just my state saying this, all the other states are saying the same thing and that helps get buy-in.” Additionally Lonczak points out the benefits of hearing from different speakers and different perspectives. Another benefit she points to is the ability to tap into other’s expertise as being smaller states, there are no dedicated training teams or centers. “What’s amazing thing about this approach,” said Lonczak, “is we're able to have some have local staff, our seasoned CLCs and IBCLCs, be trainers for the sessions. So that gives staff different experiences within the WIC program and for local staff that present, it gives the opportunity to grow their confidence. And having local staff doing the training is critical because they are both relatable and credible. We have some amazing folks out there in the local agencies and plan to tap into their talents more in future sessions.”
Post training evaluations show a lot of positive feedback from participants with veteran staff saying it was a good review, especially topics on reflective listening, open-ended questions and affirmation, given the change in service delivery model brought about when WIC went virtual during the pandemic.
Impact of the training
As to what impact the new curricula is having, Lonczak says it is helping staff understand their scope and build confidence. “As an example an IBCLC’s role,” said Lonczak,” is outreach, training and the importance of working for the continuity of care and connectedness in the community. I think that’s really important to put it in the bigger picture so you’re not just doing clinical lactation support; WIC is also connecting to the community.”
Another area of importance is the emphasis on immediate help and support, so if someone is having an issue breastfeeding it needs to be followed up on within 24 to 36 hours, not waiting to check in at the next benefit issuance appointment. “It’s a critical time if someone is struggling with breastfeeding,” said Lonczak and if WIC staff can’t solve it, you need to know who to refer to outside of WIC. Some local agencies do this beautifully and some need more assistance.
Breastfeeding is about feeding your baby. We are talking about someone’s breastfeeding going well or not going well and I think having this curricula set forth by USDA is helpful in prioritizing breastfeeding as a critical service WIC provides. And having the post-test included in the training platform, which is something I and others asked for, was helpful as we need a way to check for some competence and confidence here.”
What came out of this collaboration
Lonczak credits the individuals on the training team for accomplishing what has become a best practice. “While each state program differs, we have more in common and whenever we can pool resources and expertise it helps everyone,” said Lonczak. “Having WIC staff from other states provide training, perspective and having the local staff listen to it, reinforces that we are all in this together. And via the chat sharing different experiences and stories, camaraderie developed.”
One thing that has sprung out of this initiative is an additional training team that CT, VT, ME
and NH are working on to provide more regular regional peer counseling training, which
encompasses Levels 1 and 2.
“I think regional collaborations make a lot of sense,” said Lonczak. “Especially for smaller states with smaller caseloads and smaller resources. It’s a way you can accomplish something, you probably wouldn't be able to accomplish on your own, quicker, and more efficiently.”
|
|
Feedback from participants
“Some of the resources shared for on-line education and ways others teach breastfeeding was priceless.” -Deni Lozier, Goodwin Community Health
“The training made me feel more confident counseling and helping mothers.” -Mackenzie Presher, Southern NH Services
“I learned how to better advocate and refer and to ask open ended questions.” -Tabatha Van Horn, Community Action Program of Belknap Merrimack County
“I’ve been more conscious to include the partners and their feelings about breastfeeding and support.”
-Kalpita Pradhan, East Hartford WIC
“Great reminder to stay within the scope of practice.” -Brandi Grossman, Southwestern Community Services
“I loved the virtual platform as it allows you to listen and take notes very efficiently. The case studies helped pull all the pieces together.” -Doreen Davis, East Hartford WIC
Read more feedback from the six WIC staff surveyed here. |
|
Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack Counties, Inc., the NH Division of Public Health Service and partners kicked off World Breastfeeding Week with a celebration and walk on the Concord State House lawn. Raffle prizes, refreshments and goodie bags were provided to attendees. The NH Breastfeeding Task Force staffed a resource table. |
|
NH WIC and NH Hunger Solutions are partnering on the first Healthy Food Fuels Healthy Families Event at the NH Fisher Cats stadium at the end of August. The event amplifies the Healthy Home Plate Challenge--activity cards distributed to children across the state to engage in healthy behaviors. |
|
Goodwin Community Health celebrated World Breastfeeding Week at its community health centers in Somersworth and Wolfeboro. |
|
Staff at Portsmouth Regional Hospital joined the Southern NH Services WIC lactation team in a World Breastfeeding Week celebration. Attendees received a free lunch and prizes. |
|
Southwestern Community Services took part in a Back to School event to promote WIC and to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week. |
|
WIC staffs from around the state wear T-shirts during World Breastfeeding Week to spread the Breast Milk is Liquid Gold message. |
|
submitted by, Lauren G. Brand, Chair, The WIC Association of NYS, Inc.
The WIC Association of NYS (NYSWICA) hosted its 44th annual conference April 18-22, 2023. For the third year in a row the conference was held virtually with approximately 383 people in attendance and 16 sponsors.
This annual conference provides attendees the opportunity to earn continuing education credits and for WIC staff to hear from policy makers, attend WIC-related workshops and provides the opportunity to network with colleagues from across the State. This year’s topics included presentations on breastfeeding, infant & child nutrition, WIC program updates, LGBTQ+ etiquette, WIC outreach and more!
FNS’ Regional Administrator Lizbeth Silbermann kicked off the conference by thanking all WIC staff, including vendor management, local agency and state staff for the services they provide to WIC families. Silbermann also provided attendees with an update of FNS’ initiatives and highlighted transformative changes that WIC can look forward to in the future. The WIC Association of NYS will be hosting its 45th Annual Conference in Albany, NY in April 2024!
|
|
NY Statewide Breastfeeding Month Activities |
Across New York State, breastfeeding celebrations are taking place at the state and local level.
The State Agency:
- Recognized its WIC Breastfeeding Award of Excellence winners.
- Shared weekly resources with local agencies and attended breastfeeding celebrations
- around the State.
- Produced a slideshow from photos sent in from local agencies to play at breastfeeding coordinator/peer counselor meetings.
- Amplified local agency World Breastfeeding Week events in Hunger Solutions New York’s newsletter and website.
- Is collaborating with the State University of Albany’s School of Public Health to develop the annual Breastfeeding Grand Rounds webcast, to air October 12. This year’s focus is on the Role of Legislation in Supporting and Protecting Pregnant and Breastfeeding Employees in the Workplace.
Local Agencies engaged their local communities in a variety of fun, creative and wide-reaching events ranging from Big Latch-on events to walks, information tables, feeding and changing stations, diaper drives, and more. We tried to capture the variety in a word cloud!
|
|
Hunger Solutions NY featured World Breastfeeding Week resources in its WIC eNews, including social media posts and images in English and Spanish. |
|
Onondaga County Health Department, Syracuse, amplified the World Breastfeeding Week theme by providing resources to breastfeeding moms returning to work.
|
|
"Live, Love, Latch! BYO Basket Picnic" in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week was hosted by several Rockland County Lactation Coalition partners and the Rockland County Department of Health. The event, held at Congers Memorial Park, in Congers enabled families to share experiences, and learn fun facts about lactation and human milk feeding. |
|
Tri-County WIC, Utica, joined a World Breastfeeding Week event at the Utica Zoo to engage
with families.
|
|
Cornerstone Family Healthcare, Hudson Valley, amplified National Breastfeeding Month’s theme by encouraging families to schedule an appointment with its Women’s Health Team, who work with all new parents to facilitate breast feeding, and other nutritious and appropriate options for those who cannot breastfeed. |
|
Whitney Young Health, Albany, held baby showers at its WIC clinics for WIC moms and moms to be. |
|
Congratulations to Jennifer Williams, who works as a Nutrition Aide in the St. John WIC clinic, for being selected as Employee of the Year for the St. Thomas/St. John district. A government-wide employee recognition program of the USVI Department of Health. |
|
USVI Shows High Rates of Maternal Breastfeeding Amidst National Child Care Crisis.
Read the article in The Virgin Islands Consortium.
|
|
Lizbeth Silbermann, FNS Northeast Administrator, tours the construction site of a WIC clinic in St. Thomas. The clinic is being built with a FY19
WIC Bipartisan Disaster Infrastructure Grant.
|
|
Maine WIC has a new venture with Journey Magazine, a Maine based magazine focused on substance-use disorder with 15K subscribers. Maine WIC joined forces with the Maine Breast and Cervical Health team in hopes of reaching
new participants.
|
|
Throughout the summer, Maine WIC is doing outreach at farmers markets, festivals and community baby showers across the State. |
|
The WIC clinic for Washington and Hancock Counties attended a Blueberry Harvest Resource Fair for migrant workers, sponsored by Mano en Mano, Hand in Hand and Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness. WIC enrolled new and helped existing WIC families. |
|
Presque Isle Maine WIC clinic invites farmers to the clinic parking lot for a mini farmers market throughout the summer. Goughan’s Farm comes weekly. The event is very popular with participants and the public, and WIC staff enjoy interacting with folks at their outreach table. |
|
Maine WIC presented at the 2023 NWA Annual Education and Training Conference in San Diego, sharing information about its grant project enlisting Community Health Workers to engage with refugees and immigrants to help eligible families understand Maine’s WIC services and utilize their food packages. |
|
Maine Family Planning staff participated in the Healthy Kids event at the Ellsworth YMCA. |
|
Read all about Maine WIC’s innovative collaboration with Svahausa, a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math (STEAM)-theme clothing line, to create a line honoring WIC fruits and veggies. Read the blog about the collaboration here. |
|
Maine WIC Nutrition Program and the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Lab (HETL) are running a pilot program distributing well water testing kits through WIC clinics to participants. HETL provided the funding for the test kits and testing. So far, 36 families have found their well water contaminated and had their WIC food prescriptions altered to include ready to feed formula and advised about using the well water to make juice. |
|
State Agency staff from Maine had a WIC outreach table at the Taste of Waterville, a showcase of flavorful offerings from local food trucks to area restaurants, held in the Kennebec Valley. Another example of Maine seeking outreach opportunities to reach folks who might not have ever heard of WIC. |
|
The Vermont Department of Health along with communities around Vermont joined this year’s World Breastfeeding Week celebration highlighting the theme Enabling Breastfeeding - Making a difference for working parents, and how breastfeeding-friendly employers and communities are key partners in building a healthy Vermont where people want to live, work, and raise a family.
Vermont is a leader in breastfeeding initiation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91.5% of babies in the state receive human milk shortly after birth. However, by the age of 6 months, the rate of babies who are exclusively breastfed drops to 36.8%. This coincides with the time many parents return to the workforce. “Expectant and new parents can take comfort in knowing that they can reach out to their local health and WIC office, the Children’s Integrated Services (CIS) team, Parent Child Center, or can simply dial 2-1-1 to be connected to the help and supports they need,” said Deb Kitzmiller, a public health nurse with the Department’s Brattleboro Local Health Office. People can find these local resources at HealthVermont.gov/Breastfeeding.
Here's a sampling of events that took place to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week.
Virtual Latch On, hosted by the Brattleboro, Springfield, and White River Junction Local Health Offices. Breastfeeding/chestfeeding parents across the state joined a virtual latch on to celebrate their feeding journeys. Lactation experts were available to answer questions.
“Breastfeeding Standees.” Throughout the month of August, look for life-sized cut-outs of breastfeeding people, that recognize breastfeeding-friendly workplaces around Vermont, including St. Albans Free Library and Alburgh Public Library.
Go Gold for World Breastfeeding Week. Staff at the Bennington Vermont Department of Health invited families and community partners to wear gold or yellow and post a photo to Facebook, tagging @Vermont Department of Health – Bennington. Learn more about the significance of wearing gold here.
Lactation friendly “Mocktails”. The Department of Health and the Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition partnered to provide free lactation friendly “Mocktails” at the Gallery Walk in Brattleboro.
Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding Journeys. Walking through the Middlebury Food Co-Op entryway, folks could view posted pictures and stories about breastfeeding/chestfeeding journeys submitted by local families.
Tuesday Night Live. Morrisville Vermont Department of Health participated in “Tuesday Night Live” at Legion Field in Johnson. An infant comfort station was set up and Farm to Family coupons were available for WIC participants. Giveaways included lead testing kits.
Breastfeeding ROCKs Scavenger Hunt. Folks were invited to visit the Vermont Department of Health – Rutland Facebook page to find daily clues about where six gold rocks with breastfeeding affirmations were placed in local Rutland parks.
"Rock & Rest" Stations. Families visiting the Danville and Caledonia County Fairs were invited to stop by the "Rock & Rest" stations, to find a quiet, private place to care for their infants. The stations offered comfortable chairs to nurse and comfort babies, a diaper changing station, and resources for families.
|
|
The Bennington office of the Vermont Department of Health promoted World Breastfeeding Week by wearing gold/yellow. Moms and doctors often refer to the thick first milk your breasts make as "liquid gold" for its deep yellow color and because it is so valuable for your baby. |
|
Vermont Department of Health - Rutland engages families in the Breastfeeding ROCKs scavenger hunt! Six gold rocks were placed throughout the parks in Rutland for folks to find, snap photos and tag to Facebook to be entered into a raffle to win a Vermont State Parks day pass. |
|
Vermont Department of Health - Morrisville celebrated World Breastfeeding Week with an outreach table, featuring chocolate zucchini muffins at Farm to Family Friday. |
|
Springfield North WIC nutritionists/breastfeeding coordinator participate in a World Breastfeeding Week event at Mercy Medical Center. |
|
Cambridge/Somerville WIC Program participates in a World Breastfeeding Week celebration. |
|
Franklin/Hampshire/North Quabbin WIC staff celebrate World Breastfeeding Week at a community event. |
|
North Shore WIC participated in an event at the Lynn Museum with community partners including Home Visiting/Catholic Charities Program and Beverly Hospital Lactation Services. The event was presented in English and Spanish and had great turnout. One mother spoke about how her peer counselor “saved’ her by helping with a flange fitting to help express breast milk. |
|
Tapestry Health WIC spotlights their peer counselors on social media as a resource to support families on their
breastfeeding journeys.
|
|
CHP Berkshires has several Mobile Health vehicles on the road for clinics each week providing services, including WIC to Great Barrington, Pittsfield, Stockbridge and more. |
|
New Breastfeeding Video from MA |
|
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has created a new video to help WIC families prepare for breastfeeding!
Promotional flyers were sent out to healthcare providers, and postcards were sent to clinics for participants. Currently available in English and Spanish, the video will soon be available in Brazilian, Portuguese and Haitian Creole as well.
|
|
|
|
Connecticut Peer Counselors Gather for Retreat |
|
Just prior to the commencement of World Breastfeeding Week and National Breastfeeding Month, all of Connecticut’s WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Local Agency Teams gathered for their first in-person retreat since the start of the pandemic.
Team building and training on meeting participants’ needs was the focus of the retreat.
Pictured (above left) is Bridgeport Optimus Breastfeeding Peer Counseling team, including Desiree Myers (peer counselor right), Lauren Ramos (nutritionist/lactation consultant middle) and Alma Machado (peer counselor left).
Geraldine (Nia) Michel, peer counselor from New Haven is pictured (above right) at the retreat demonstrating a virtual visit with a participant.
|
|
Easier Enrollment in WIC Leads to Healthier Moms and Kids |
|
Nutrition Security: Building on Our Work to Date and Accelerating Progress |
|
Connecting Families to WIC through Partnership |
|
Congratulations in the Northeast Region to:
|
|
Breastfeeding Performance Bonus Awards |
|
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service has awarded a total of $2 million to the 15 State agencies with the highest rates of fully breastfed infants during fiscal year 2022.
Congratulations to the awardees in the Northeast Region for your outstanding achievement in sustaining high breastfeeding rates among WIC participants:
- The Vermont State agency has received a WIC Breastfeeding Performance Bonus Award in the amount of $55,010.
- The Indian Township State agency has received a WIC Breastfeeding Performance Bonus Award in the amount of $5,000.
|
|
Get to Know Your USDA Regional WIC Team |
|
Scotlyn Sunkel is a Program Specialist for the Northeast Regional Office WIC Team. She is a Presidential Management Fellow Class of 2022. She specializes in the areas of MIS, EBT, procurement as well as the WIC and Seniors Farmer’s Market Nutrition Programs.
Scotlyn joined USDA in February 2023 and moved to Boston in March 2023. Prior to joining the Agency, she completed her Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, LA. Scotlyn has worked for a wide range of nonprofit organizations that focus on maternal and child health and human trafficking.
During her free time, Scotlyn enjoys reading, cooking and listening to true crime podcasts, her favorite being Crime Junkie.
|
|
|
Peggy Leung-Strle is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Lactation Counselor with over 15 years of WIC experience in three local agencies and two state agencies. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Human Nutrition – Dietetics at the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign and her Master of Science and Dietetic Internship at Case Western Reserve University.
Equipped with breastfeeding knowledge, Peggy planned to breastfeed exclusively for one year. But as we all know, all plans go out the door as soon as baby arrives! Peggy’s daughter, Kamea, was born early and with low birth weight due to complications related to gestational diabetes. At the hospital and in the early days at home, a cycle of direct breastfeeding, pumping and Neosure was used to keep Kamea’s blood sugar up. Weight checks every other day showed slow progress, but by day 10 of life, Kamea was weaned off of Neosure and exclusively breastfed. Peggy continued to pump upon returning to work and breastfed for 20 months. With the support of her Massachusetts WIC colleagues during her breastfeeding journey, Peggy made it beyond one year!
Peggy’s WIC career began in Massachusetts as a Nutritionist at the Cambridge/Somerville WIC Program. She then became a Director at the South Cove WIC Program for 5 years, where she revamped South Cove’s Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program and increased both breastfeeding initiation and duration rates. Peggy joined the Massachusetts WIC Program as the Management Information Systems Nutritionist for 6 years. In that role, Peggy managed the nutrition component of the MIS and was the subject matter expert on nutrition risk criteria, nutrition data and research. She also coordinated the implementation of the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, which included coupon distribution, site visits and redemption data analysis.
Due to a family relocation to New York, Peggy worked as the Breastfeeding Coordinator at the Schenectady County WIC Program. She then became a Public Health Nutritionist for the New York State WIC Program, where she was the subject matter expert on foods and formula, medical documentation and Food Package III.
Peggy was very excited to join FNS in July 2022. As a Supplemental Food Programs Nutritionist, Peggy supports the Northeast Region in delivery of nutrition services and breastfeeding promotion. She is eager to continue working with her WIC colleagues and hopes to increase collaborations across the region, especially with the upcoming new WIC Food Package Rule.
You can find Peggy and Kamea visiting Pick-Your-Own farms all summer long!
|
|
|
|
Communications Toolkit to Help Families Renew Medicaid or CHIP |
You can help families renew their Medicaid or CHIP health coverage or find other coverage options by using this communications toolkit.
It’s available in English and Spanish, and some of the materials, including drop-in articles, a fact sheet, and a post card, are also available in Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
|
|
Share Your Stories/Resources |
|
If you have a story idea or someone you think should be profiled, let us know. If you have resources to share, we can highlight them in future editions. We will be covering the many aspects of WIC so send forth your input for consideration.
Content Disclaimer: The resources, views and opinions included and expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position or endorsement of USDA.
Photos and graphics are courtesy of those featured, taken by FNS or stock.
Subscription/Distribution Disclaimer: It is important recipients not forward the Wonders of WIC through their emails, but instead subscribe by sending an email via the link below or share the View as Webpage weblink. Otherwise, the publication will lose its formatting and not appear as it should. This is a glitch in Constant Contact, the system we use to create and distribute our publications. View as Webpage
|
|
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
