MOMS Orange County Names PHFE WIC as 2019 Champion for Babies & Families Awardee

Press Release by MOMS Orange County

Santa Ana, Calif. (January 16, 2019) – PHFE WIC, the largest nonprofit network of WIC centers in the U.S., was honored with MOMS Orange County’s Champion for Babies & Families award at their Santa Ana offices on January 15. MOMS Orange County, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving low-income pregnant women and young families for more than 26 years, launched the Champion for Babies & Families award in 2018 to honor and celebrate Orange County employers that create working environments which are exceptionally supportive of expectant employees and new families.

“We are honored to present PHFE WIC with our Champion for Babies & Families Award and commend their leadership and commitment to breastfeeding, infant nutrition and support to their employees who are new parents,” said MOMS Orange County CEO Pamela Pimentel, RN.

PHFE WIC, a program of Heluna Health, clearly leads the service sector in best practices in supporting its expecting employees and new parents. All eight WIC centers in Orange County are breastfeeding-friendly work centers with private pumping stations, electric pumps, refrigerators and flexible work time for pumping. Their employee Perinatal Support Program for pregnant and breastfeeding employees includes early pregnancy classes and prenatal support groups. When an employee has a baby, the family has access to a breastfeeding support coach and lactation consultant as employees are encouraged to pump during work hours for baby’s first year. In 2017, 100% of employees initiated breastfeeding and 92% maintained exclusive breastfeeding for their baby’s first year of life.

“As a leader in breastfeeding support services and nutrition education for families, we are thrilled to receive the ‘Champion for Babies & Families Award,’ said Kiran Saluja, MPH, RDN PHFE WIC Executive Director. “Breastfeeding education and support are a core WIC service; not only to the families we serve, but also to our employees who support the families we serve. PHFE WIC is committed to doing whatever it takes to help our staff succeed with healthy pregnancies and exclusive breastfeeding. When our staff is supported and successful, they, in turn, become passionate breastfeeding advocates for our participants. When we take care of our staff, they take care of our participants.”

Epsilon, a division of Alliance Data, was also honored with the 2019 Champion for Babies & Families award. The global marketing company’s Costa Mesa facility takes great measures to support new families and employees who are expecting.

Santa Ana-based MOMS Orange County plans to continue the tradition of honoring employers who go above and beyond to support pregnant employees and new parents. Nominations for the 2020 Champion for Babies and Families award will be accepted beginning in July 2019. For nomination information, please send inquiries to info@momsorangecounty.org.

About MOMS Orange County
MOMS Orange County formed 26 years ago in response to a crisis in access to prenatal healthcare for low-income, at-risk women. Today, MOMS Orange County serves more than 3,200 low-income families annually, directly influencing improvements in birth outcomes, maternal health, and developmental indicators among infants within a highly disadvantaged population.

To learn more about MOMS Orange County, visit www.momsorangecounty.org.

About PHFE WIC: WIC is the USDA-funded Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. PHFE WIC—a program of Heluna Health is the largest local agency WIC Program in the nation, serving over 200,000 participants each month in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Currently, over two-thirds of all infants born in LA County receive WIC services. Learn more at www.phfewic.org and www.helunahealth.org.