Rio Arriba WIC Program Celebrates World Breastfeeding Month

The New Mexico Department of Health’s Española Women, Infants, Children program (WIC), the Northern New Mexico Community College and New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force will host its annual World Breastfeeding Awareness Event Friday, August 30th at the Northern Community College campus, 921 N. Paseo de Oñate in Española from 10 am to 2 pm.

The Rio Arriba Annual World Breastfeeding Awareness Event aims to strengthen local support for breastfeeding and to improve the health of children and women in the community. It is one of many similar events that take place annually during World Breastfeeding Month every August. Countries around the world will be celebrating this year’s International theme which is “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding”.

“The benefits of breastfeeding for the health and welfare of babies is huge,” said Department of Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel. “It’s important for the overall health of New Mexicans for everyone from parents to workplaces to support and enable breastfeeding in the home, on the job and beyond because what we do in the first months and years of our children’s lives affect their health for years to come.”

WIC services approximately 787 families in Rio Arriba and Los Alamos County per month.

WIC is the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). It is a federal program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service, and the New Mexico Department of Health, Public Health Division.

For questions about the Rio Arriba Annual World Breastfeeding Awareness Event or to schedule an appointment, please contact the Española WIC Office at (505) 753-4659. For more information on New Mexico’s WIC program, log onto http://nmhealth.org/about/phd/fhb/wic/.