Jonell Bacon-Seward, an employee at the Liberty County Health Department and a clerk for Women, Infants, and Children, recently won the 2014 WIC Customer Service Award for the Coastal Health District.
Bacon-Seward was recognized at the Georgia WIC Customer Service Conference in Atlanta, where more than 400 county, district, state and federal WIC staff members were in attendance.
“Receiving this award was a great and unexpected surprise,” Bacon-Seward said. “It was a great honor to be nominated and chosen for employee of the year for WIC customer service. This lets me know that I am recognized and appreciated for the work that I do.”
Bacon-Seward has worked for the health department in the WIC program for nearly 16 years, and her responsibilities include issuing supplemental food vouchers when applicable and making sure that processing standards are met according to WIC guidelines.
WIC is a federally funded nutrition-education program that provides supplemental food, nutrition education, social service and health referrals to income-eligible pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children up to age 5 to improve their health outcomes.
Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, presented special awards honoring district WIC staff members from each of Georgia’s 18 public-health districts. Each of the WIC employees were chosen for special notice because they evidenced one or more of the following criteria: years of service, Georgia WIC outreach, customer service and leadership in WIC service delivery.
“The employees who were lauded as District Georgia WIC Employees of the Year provided exemplary service to the Georgia WIC Program over the past years,” said Barbara Stahnke, MEd, RD, Ld, a nutrition-program specialist for the Georgia Department of Public Health Division of Health Promotion, Nutrition and WIC Section. “Georgia WIC wants to thank all of our WIC providers and most especially, the providers recognized for their exemplary service.”