District Health Department No. 4 has achieved Premier Award status with the U.S. Department of Agriculture WIC Breastfeeding Award of Excellence.
After several years of receiving Gold awards, DHD4 received the Premier designation in the Midwest region, according to a health department announcement. The Midwest region includes seven states.
This year, the USDA awarded 20 Gold Awards and 15 Premier Awards in the Midwest region. DHD4 was one of two programs awarded Premier in Michigan. The award program recognizes local WIC agencies that have provided exemplary breastfeeding promotion and support.
The goal is to encourage other local agencies to strengthen their support activities and increase breastfeeding rates among WIC participants.
Denise Bryan, DHD4 health officer, praised the work of the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor.
“While we’ve always known our Breastfeeding Peer Counselor does excellent work, it’s nice to see them receive national attention for their commitment to Northeast Michigan’s mothers and babies,” Bryan said.
The Breastfeeding Peer Counselor is a certified lactation specialist. She offers one-to-one breastfeeding support in clinics and homes, over the phone and through texting to meet the needs of clients. As a certified lactation specialist, she continues to learn the most up-to-date information on breastfeeding to better serve DHD4 clients.
DHD4 provides extensive support programs for mothers as they breastfeed. Parents can choose the level of support they desire, including visits from breastfeeding counselors in the hospital, health department clinics or at home.
August is recognized as Breastfeeding Awareness Month. To learn more about the health department’s programming, visit dhd4.org/breastfeeding-peer-counselor-program.
This story was created by reporter Nida Tazeen, ntazeen@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
