State Department of Health commissioner Mary O’Dowd visited the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey’s Mercer County Women Infants and Children program July 28.
O’Dowd visited with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Administrator of Food and Nutrition Service for the mid-Atlantic region Pat Dombroski and acting N.J. WIC director Sylvia Dellas as part of the state’s 40th anniversary celebration of the WIC Program.
O’Dowd, who has been entrusted by Governor Christie to protect the public’s health, promote healthy communities and continue to improve the quality of health care in New Jersey, spoke with county WIC participants to discuss the positive impact the program has had on each of their families.
The commissioner presented a new video highlighting WIC’s history and how it has expanded over time to better support pregnant women, postpartum and breastfeeding mothers, and their children up to age five. The video will be shared with WIC agencies, healthcare providers and local health departments, and posted on the department’s new WIC webpage as part of a public education campaign to increase awareness of the program.
According to WIC staff, it is estimated that nearly 40,000 women and children in New Jersey are eligible to receive WIC benefits, but have yet to enroll. Through an active public education campaign, the department aims to reach those families so they can benefit from all that the WIC program has to offer.
O’Dowd announced that in addition to the video message, the department is placing WIC advertisements on NJ Transit trains, busses and stations. Furthermore department leaders plan to attend events at WIC clinics and farmers’ markets throughout the week to ensure more women know about this important program.
The department hopes to increase enrollment in the WIC program and provide more families with access to healthy foods, nutritional education, and breastfeeding support.
New Jersey WIC Services provide supplemental nutritious foods to pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants and children up to age five. WIC services include nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion and support, immunization screening and health care referrals.
More information is online at www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/wic/.
Children’s Home Society of New Jersey director of Maternal/Child Health, Family and Community Support Services Maritza I. Raimundi-Petroski, Mercer WIC Program administrator Kelly Mannherz, CHSofNJ president and CEO Donna C. Pressma, N.J. Department of Health commissioner Mary O’Dowd, U.S. Department of Agriculture Administrator of Food and Nutrition Service for the mid-Atlantic region Pat Dombroski and acting NJ WIC director Sylvia Dellas at CHSofNJ’s Mercer County WIC office in Trenton on July 28, 2014.,
