Health Department to Hold “Building Bridges” Program

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — The Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department’s “WIC” Program received a grant to provide a “Building Bridges” program in May.

The objective of the program is to promote collaboration between hospitals, the “WIC” Program, and community partners in providing lactation support services. It will provide education on common breastfeeding issues and try to identify ways the community can help breastfeeding families.

“I think one of the biggest issues is that we as a community need to collaborate to help moms in breastfeeding because they can come across issues everywhere from the hospital, to those first few days afterwards, and then even for weeks and months afterwards. So it’s about having the support there, available to help them,” said Lisa Davidson, the “WIC” Breastfeeding Coordinator.

Davidson says the event isn’t just a good opportunity for those involved in the field, but for all community businesses and members as well.

“The program is not just for the obvious pediatric and obstetrics’s, doctors and nurses or people who are already in lactation. It’s also a great opportunity for people who work with moms and/or babies; so it might be dentists, employers, those ER nurses and doctors, daycare providers,” added Davidson.

The program will also consist of a couple of presenters. Jan Barger (RN, MA, IBCLC, FILCA) from Wheaton, IL will present. She has worked in all areas of maternal child health since 1972 and currently maintains her own private practice. Carole Peterson (MS, IBCLC) from Fort Wayne, IN will also present. Carole was a lactation consultant for a WIC Clinic and chairperson for the Indiana WIC Breastfeeding Committee for 17 years. She is currently the Regional Breastfeeding Educator for Norther Indiana WIC.

Attendees of the event will also earn credits by receiving 3.50 L CERP’s and nursing CEUs.

The event will be held Tuesday, May 23rd, with a morning session and an afternoon session. For registration information, please go online at www.zmchd.org or contact the Health Department directly at (740)642-8736.