WIC breastfeeding peer counselors(o)

The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health, was awarded a $696,940 Formula Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service to support the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors program from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2025.

The funding will support the provision of breastfeeding peer counseling services to low-income pregnant and postpartum women and infants under age five participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Nevada. The WIC program, authorized under the Child Nutrition Act and funded through the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, aims to provide supplemental nutritious foods and nutrition education to at-risk populations, including support for breastfeeding mothers. The peer counseling component of the Nevada WIC program focuses on increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration rates among low-income families through the delivery of services by trained breastfeeding peer counselors.