Maternal and Family Health Services Welcomes Representative Phyllis Mundy and Congressman Matthew Cartwright to Kingston WIC Center

Maternal and Family Health Services, Inc. (MFHS) welcomed Pennsylvania State Representative Phyllis Mundy and U. S. Congressman Matthew Cartwright to the Kingston WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Center on July 26^th. Representative Mundy and Representative Cartwright met with MFHS President & CEO Bette Saxton, WIC Administration Director Shannon Hayward, and Nurse-Family Partnership Program Manager Kathleen Krivenko to discuss WIC, Nurse-Family Partnership and other MFHS programs. They also met center staff and WIC participants and toured the facility.
Congressman Cartwright and Representative Mundy discussed the effect that the sequester could have on WIC participants, such as waiting lists for participants, and cuts for some programs such as the breastfeeding peer counselor program. Following the tour of the WIC Nutrition Center, Cartwright and Mundy went on a home visit with a Nurse-Family Partnership nurse and her client to see how the program is making a difference in lives of at-risk, first time mothers.
WIC was established in 1974 to promote good nutrition for children and expectant mothers.  In the intervening years, WIC has become a key component of the safety net system for low-income and special needs families. Today, WIC functions to ensure all children in Northeast Pennsylvania have a healthy start. MFHS offers the WIC Nutrition Program in 16 Pennsylvania Counties serving over 55,000 people each month with quality nutrition education and access to healthy foods. The program is administered by the PA Department of Health with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Nurse-Family Partnership Program helps change the lives of vulnerable first-time mothers and their babies through ongoing home visits from registered nurses. This prevention program, transforming lives through the power of relationships, is proven to help families develop the strengths and skills that will be the foundation for a lifetime of health and economic stability. Nurse-Family Partnership is funded through the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning.