Page 4

of being extended through September 30, 2026, via NEATO), through a cost savings measure as part of the infant formula rebate program.

B. MISSION STATEMENTS

DPH Mission: To protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by: • Assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy. • Promoting physical and mental health, and • Preventing disease, injury, and disability.

DPH Vision Statement: Healthy People in Healthy Connecticut Communities

Community, Family Health, and Prevention Branch Mission: The Connecticut WIC Program is in the Maternal, Child Health, and Access to Care Section, which is one of two sections in the Community, Family Health and Prevention Branch at the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The CFHPB is a positive and productive branch that creates and achieves optimal public health outcomes through strong, consistent, proactive and ethical leadership; a positive and productive workplace environment; results-based accountability; and, premier customer service to the public by valued employees through technical assistance, best-practice and research-based expertise, and clear and accurate communication.

WIC Program Mission: The Connecticut WIC Program is committed to improving the health of eligible pregnant women, new mothers, and children by providing nutrition education, breastfeeding support, healthy foods, and referrals to health and social programs during the critical stages of fetal and early childhood development.

Breastfeeding Statement: The Connecticut WIC Program endorses the American Academy of Pediatrics' Policy Statement on “Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk” (2022), which states, “Breastfeeding and human milk are the normative standards for infant feeding and nutrition. The short- and long-term medical and neurodevelopmental advantages of breastfeeding make breastfeeding, or the provision of human milk, a public health imperative. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for approximately 6 months after birth. Furthermore, the AAP supports continued breastfeeding, along with appropriate complementary foods introduced at about 6 months, as long as mutually desired by mother and child for 2 years or beyond.” The Connecticut WIC Program promotes exclusive breastfeeding as the normal infant feeding method through the first year of life and beyond, with the addition of appropriate complementary foods when the infant is developmentally ready, usually around six months of age. All WIC staff have a role in promoting and providing support for the successful initiation and continuation of breastfeeding.