News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Irene G. Warren,
Director of Development
July 29, 2004
(937) 374-5626 or 1-866-858-3588
GREENE
COUNTY COMBINED HEALTH DISTRICT
HAS OPEN HOUSE TO CELEBRATE
BREASTFEEDING
AWARENESS MONTH
(Xenia,
OH) In celebration
of World Breastfeeding Week and Breastfeeding Awareness Month, Greene County
Combined Health District’s WIC Program will hold an open house on Wednesday
August 4th from 1:00
p.m. to 3:00
p.m. at the health
district’s office located at 360
Wilson Drive in Xenia. The purpose of the open house is to educate pregnant
women on WIC about the benefits of breastfeeding and to honor WIC’s
breastfeeding mothers.
Aug.
1-7, 2004, is
World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) and marks the beginning of Breastfeeding
Awareness Month in Ohio. This
year’s WBW theme is Exclusive Breastfeeding, the Gold Standard, Safe, Sound and Sustainable.
Breastfeeding Awareness
Month offers Greene County
an opportunity to promote the many benefits of exclusive breastfeeding --
defined as providing no other liquids or solids for a baby’s first six months
-- to Ohio's mothers-to-be, families and the general public.
“Mothers’
milk enhances the growth, development and well-being of infants by providing the
best possible nutrition and protection against specific infections and
allergies,” said J. Nick Baird, M.D., director of the Ohio Department of
Health (ODH), “and these benefits are strongest when exclusive breastfeeding
is practiced for the first six months of life.”
The
health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding can be translated into cost savings
for individuals, government programs and health maintenance organizations.
A 1999 University
of Arizona study
found breastfeeding exclusively for three months saves HMOs between $331 and
$475 per infant in the first year of life.
New
research has also shown that breastfeeding enhances intellectual development and
decreases the risk of obesity. The
January 1998 edition of Pediatrics
contained a study that showed children breastfed for eight months or longer had
higher IQ test scores and performed better in high school than those not
breastfed. The February 2004 edition
of Pediatrics
reported breastfeeding reduces the risk of obesity in non-Hispanic whites.
The
American Academy
of Pediatrics recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for six months
and that breastfeeding continues until the infant is at least 1 year old.
The
infant feeding decision can have long-term consequences on the growth and
success of our children. Because of
increased bonding, improved cognitive development, decreased risk of obesity and
many other health benefits, breastfeeding, particularly exclusively for the
first six months, can help ensure a positive start for infants and young
children.
Maternal
and Child Health clinics and WIC projects have a strong mandate to promote and
support breastfeeding. Public health
clinics in Ohio, including all WIC clinics, have trained staff who can provide
research-based, culturally sensitive information about breastfeeding.
The Greene County WIC Program has on staff an International Board
Certified Lactation Consultant as well as three Breastfeeding Peer Helpers. ODH
encourages all Ohio residents to support exclusive breastfeeding as a high
priority for healthier babies in our state.
“We
must provide Ohio
mothers-to-be and their families with enough information to make informed
choices about infant feeding,” said Nancy Cohen, WIC’s Breastfeeding
Coordinator. “Once the decision to
breastfeed has been made, we must provide a supportive environment to encourage
the continuation of breastfeeding. Ultimately,
our whole society will benefit from having healthier mothers, babies and
children."
FOR
MORE INFORMATION about breastfeeding in Greene
County please call Greene County Combined Health District, Nancy Cohen, RD, LD,
IBCLC, WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator, at 937-374-5642 or 1-866-858-3588,
extension 5642. Or call the “Help Me Grow” Helpline at 1-800-755-GROW.
Greene
County Combined Health District – Your center for public health services and
health information in Greene County for over 70 years.
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