North Georgia Health District’s WIC program gets award for breastfeeding support program

ATLANTA — The North Georgia Health District 1-2 WIC Program received the Gold 2024 WIC Breastfeeding Award of Excellence for Exemplary Breastfeeding Support and Practices.

According to the district, the award was given for the district’s unwavering commitment to promoting and supporting breastfeeding in the community.

“The peer counselors work closely with our IBCLC [International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant] WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator, Carol Hendrix,” said Karen Rutledge, RD, LD, district WIC Program Director. “Together, they provide families with both emotional support and clinical expertise, leading to significantly improved breastfeeding success rates and a supportive environment for families.”

The award itself is given by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which provides support and services to mothers of young children and assists with meeting the nutritional needs of low-income families.

North Georgia Health District 1-2 covers the area of Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield counties. In addition to District 1-2′s win, District 10 in Athens, District 5-2 in Macon, District 8-1 in Valdosta and District 9-2 in Waycross received the same gold awards for the Breastfeeding Award of Excellence Program.

“The North Georgia WIC team has a superior top-tier partnership with the Northwest Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition. They come together in a community engagement-driven way that can be measured and duplicated throughout Georgia,” LaToya Osmani, MPH, Georgia’s Director of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for WIC said.