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BATON ROUGE — Unlimited, 24/7 access to infant feeding support is now available to the 50,000 women and infants served by Louisiana WIC through a partnership with Pacify Health, expanding Louisiana’s ongoing work to improve breastfeeding duration rates for participants.

The partnership with Pacify supports the Louisiana WIC Program’s mission to improve health equity by improving access to breastfeeding support services for people in rural areas and for non-English speaking participants. Pacify’s network of more than 100 providers includes board-certified lactation consultants who offer telelactation care in both English and Spanish, no appointments required.

Participants who speak other languages can access a translation line through the Pacify app.

Through Pacify, Louisiana WIC will offer participants instantaneous video access to a nationwide network of lactation consultants plus direct access to its local WIC clinics across the state, all through one, streamlined app. Providing this type of support has been proven to help more parents start and continue breastfeeding for longer, which improves health outcomes for mothers and babies. Access to such care is crucial in a state that has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation.

Louisiana WIC participants who would like to access virtual infant feeding support through Pacify can contact their local WIC clinic or call 1-800-251-2229. All WIC participants are eligible.

With other public health partners, Pacify has helped improve overall breastfeeding rates by up to 23%. In a study conducted by the RAND Corporation, Pacify demonstrated that virtual lactation services improve breastfeeding rates and patient experience among women in rural areas. This project recently received additional funding from the National Institutes of Health.

The Louisiana Department of Health strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state residents. The Louisiana Department of Health includes the Office of Public Health, Office of Aging & Adult Services, Office of Behavioral Health, Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, and Healthy Louisiana (Medicaid). To learn more, visit www.ldh.la.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog.