The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is recognizing 103 WIC clinics, among 10,000 nationally, with WIC Breastfeeding Awards of Excellence for work being done to help moms and babies successfully breastfeed. In Massachusetts, two clinics received awards:

• Cambridge Health Alliance, Somerville, MA, Premiere, with 58% of moms fully or partially breastfeeding
• Health First Family Care Center, Fall River WIC Program, Fall River, MA, Gold, with 32% of moms fully or partially breastfeeding

“This recognition for both the Fall River and Cambridge-Somerville WIC Programs is so well deserved,” said Massachusetts WIC Director Rachel Colchamiro. “The peer counselors and staff at both local WIC programs provide families with accessible, effective and compassionate support to meet their feeding goals and give their babies a healthy start!”

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children known as WIC is one of the nation’s 16 federal nutrition programs. WIC aims to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health care and social services.

WIC Breastfeeding Awards of Excellence are given at three levels of performance that build on one another: Gold, Premiere, and Elite. In Massachusetts, the awardee clinics are using peer counselors, a mom-to-mom mentorship, to provide prenatal and postpartum education and family support to clients. The Fall River clinic collaborates with its local baby friendly hospitals and is expanding its breastfeeding classes to Spanish and Portuguese languages. The Somerville clinic is using technology and social media to quickly and consistently connect with clients via text and Face Time to answer questions, provide advice and encouragement, and demonstrate positioning.

“Cambridge/Somerville WIC staff have a comprehensive understanding of the needs of their patients and a dedicated perseverant team implementing creative, customized steps to target our unique population for breastfeeding,” said Senior Nutritionist Kinnari Chitalia.

“The Fall River WIC Program is honored to receive the Gold Breastfeeding Award of Excellence!” said Breastfeeding Coordinator Katie Bridgestock. “We are all passionate about breastfeeding and have four staff members who are CLC’s. Our breastfeeding Peer Counselors also play a role in our success due to their consistent support and dedication to helping our WIC breastfeeding families on their breastfeeding journeys.”

“These awards highlight the importance of breastfeeding as the best source of nutrition for a baby’s first year of life,” said USDA Food and Nutrition Service Regional Administrator Lizbeth Silbermann. “With WIC serving about 40% of babies born in the country, local WIC program staff, who provide breastfeeding education and support to mothers, are key to helping moms that want to breastfeed do so successfully.”

More information about WIC can be found at www.fns.usda.gov/WIC.