Monday, April 5, 2010

Bonus Awards Given to Tribes for Promoting Breastfeeding Among WIC Participants

The Navajo Nation received a $50,000 bonus award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for doing an exceptional job in promoting and supporting breastfeeding among mothers participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), according to a press release issued last week by the USDA. The Navajo Nation was among the top five large state agencies with the highest breastfeeding rates.

The bonus was part of about $5 million awarded to state agencies for improving and achieving high breastfeeding rates. Authorized by the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-80), this is the first time the USDA has given them out.

The Santo Domingo Tribe, the Pueblo of Zuni and the Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos, all in New Mexico, each received a $5,000 bonus for having the greatest breastfeeding rates among the smaller agencies.

Several tribes, including the Ute Mountain Tribe in Colorado, the Omaha Nation in Nebraska and the Osage Nation in Oklahoma, received bonus awards of approximately $5,000 each for making the greatest improvements in breastfeeding rates.

To read the full release, click here.

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