[AT YOUR SERVICE]
Mom feels ARMY SPEC. Naomi Miller knows that being a single mom in Hawaii isn't easy, especially since she chose to breast-feed her infant daughter and her job means she has to be away for extended periods.
good about isle
health program
The Women, Infants and
Children program of Hawaii helped
her with nutritional needsAT YOUR SERVICE
By Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.comMiller, a technician at Tripler Army Medical Center, has no problems being in the Army doing something she really enjoys. However, for medical and other reasons, Miller, a divorced mom, chose to breast-feed her 3 1/2-month-old daughter Madelyn, but purchasing or leasing an electrical breast pump was just too expensive.
"It would have cost me $300 to $400 to buy one" said Miller, a preventive medicine specialist at Tripler, "or $50 a month to rent a hospital-grade pump. Without it I would have not been able to breast-feed my baby, which I believe is best for the health of the child.
"It's a major quality of life issue for me, and I think makes a difference in both the baby's health and in bonding with the child."
She turned to a federal supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children for help. The program loaned her a breast pump, making it possible for to continue to breast-feed Madelyn when she returned to work.
Miller's schedule also requires her to be at Tripler early every morning. Even when Miller is at work, her daughter can drink her mother's breast milk. It also means that when Miller has to be away from Madelyn, like for a week of training last month, the breast pump allows her to store her milk, even freezing it until it is needed.
Federal officials say more families are now eligible for the low-income supplemental nutritional and educational program, which is available not only to the military under new more generous income limits.
"There are many eligible families out there who are unaware of the program and its benefits," said Fay Nakamoto, Women, Infants and Children Services branch chief.
Based on the 1990 census, Nakamoto said there are at least 41,000 people who are eligible for the Women, Infants and Children program. She thinks, however, that the census figures are inaccurate and the number could be as high as 49,000 because of the poor state of Hawaii's economy over the past decade. The program serves 32,200 people in Hawaii.
"We still haven't come out of the downturn," said Nakamoto, "and we believe there are many people out there who are probably unaware of our services."
The Women, Infants and Children program provides free nutritional and nourishing supplemental foods such as milk, cheese, peanut butter, iron-fortified cereals and eggs to pregnant women, breast-feeding and new mothers, and children under the age of 5.
In Hawaii, the Women, Infants and Children program serves about 5,200 military people per month, which represents about 16 percent of its statewide caseload. Military rank is not a determining income factor.
All military families qualify since there are no residency requirements if they meet the income standards. Families who receive food stamps are automatically income-eligible for the program and enrollment in both programs is allowed.
Under program guidelines a family of four must have a gross annual income of less than $37,555 to qualify. For a single mom like Miller, she had to have an annual income of less than $24,716 to qualify. A pregnant mom and unborn child is counted as two under the program.
Miller said she learned about the program from a colleague at Tripler when she was two months pregnant and was surprised that she was eligible.
The Tripler soldier said she doesn't believe being a single mom in the Army is any different than being in the same predicament in the civilian world. However, being a soldier gives her the added bonus of having both her and Madelyn's health costs covered by the military as well being provided with free housing.
Getting the program support in obtaining the breast pump and nutritional items, like milk, eggs, and cereal, allowed her to spend money on other infant needs and she encourages other military people to check out the program.
When Miller enrolled in the program, she was assigned a counselor and had to attend classes on nutrition education, healthy pregnancy and child care before she was issued a check which she can use to buy certain products over a three-month period. After Madelyn was born both the mother and the child's health are monitored with periodic checkups. She can stay enrolled in the program until Madelyn is 5.
"My experience with both WIC and the military," Miller said, "has been positive throughout my pregnancy and now."
Nakamoto said the program maintains 46 clinic throughout the state at places like the Ala Moana, Waianae and Kalihi Palama Health Centers and hospitals such as Queen's Medical Center and Kapiolani Medical Center. For further information, call 586-8175 on Oahu or toll-free from the neighbor islands 1-888-820-6425.
Gregg K. Kakesako can be reached by phone at 294-4075
or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com.