The McDonough County Health Department is pleased to announce that they have been recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Women Infant and Children’s (WIC) program for their efforts to promote and support breastfeeding among WIC participants.
On Aug. 18, the McDonough County Health Department was awarded the 2026 USDA WIC Breastfeeding Premiere Award of Excellence which was awarded to only two county health departments in Illinois for 2026.
The Premiere award recognizes that not only does the McDonough County Health Department have policies and procedures in place to support WIC families in breastfeeding, but that they have an established Breastfeeding Peer Counselor who supports breastfeeding families with regular activities like home visits and weekly support group meetings and lactation stations at area events. This continued work has created a collaborative culture of support for breastfeeding in McDonough County resulting in an increase in breastfeeding rates among McDonough County WIC participants and breastfeeding rates that are significantly above state and national rates.
