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WIC - Women, Infants and Children Program
WIC clinic locations in the East Metro. All health centers include WIC programs.
Who is eligible to participate?
What do the participants receive?
When and how does the participant receive the food?
How long will participants receive WIC benefits?
New Food Packages (October 1, 2009)
What is WIC?
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a short-term intervention program designed to influence nutrition and health behaviors in a targeted, high-risk population.
Who is elibible to participate?
Pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum women, infants and children under five years of age who meet the following:
- Income level has to be less than or equal to 185% of poverty guidelines
- Nutrition risk must be documented
- Those eligible may receive WIC services even if they are working, are under the care of a private physician, and/or have private insurance. To determine eligibility, clients must provide proof of ID, proof of residency and proof of income or Medicaid/food stamp enrollment.
What do the participants receive?
1. Quality Nutrition Education Services
- Participants receive individualized nutrition and parenting education as often as is necessary from competent personnel at their local health department. All of our East-Metro WIC Clinics have at least one registered dietitian on staff.
2. Breastfeeding Promotion and Education
- Breastfeeding women receive counseling and support from trained professionals. All of our East-Metro WIC Clinics have at least one certified lactation counselor on staff and we have a district breastfeeding coordinator.
3. A Monthly Food Prescription
WIC provides nutritious foods tailored to supplement the dietary needs of participants. The foods are specifically chosen to provide high levels of protein, iron, calcium and vitamins A and C; nutrients that have been scientifically shown to be lacking or needed in extra amounts in the diets of the WIC population. These five nutrients plus other nutrients are critical for assuring healthy growth and development.
- Pregnant or postpartum women and children: milk, cheese, eggs, fruit juice, and dried beans, or peanut butter
- Breastfeeding women: same as above plus carrots and increased quantities of the above and fish if they exclusively breastfeed their baby.
- Infants 0-6 months of age: iron-fortified formula or any formula intended for oral feeding if ordered by physician for a specified medical condition
- Infants 6-12 months of age: same as above plus dry infant cereal and jars of baby vegetables and fruits. If the baby is exclusively breastfed, she will receive double the jarred vegetables and fruits plus jarred meat.
4. Access to Medical Care
WIC staff are mandated by federal regulations to:
- Refer WIC participants to primary health care provider for maternal, prenatal and pediatric services
- Remind and encourage participants to keep their appointments with their primary health care provider for routine physicals and immunizations.
When and how does the participant receive the food?
The participant receives food vouchers every 1-3 months from their local health departments. These vouchers specify which foods the recipient is to receive. The vouchers are then redeemed by the participant through a WIC approved vendor..
How long will participants receive WIC benefits?
- Prenatal women stay on the WIC program until six weeks after the end of the pregnancy.
- Postpartum women may continue (if still eligible) until six months after the end of the pregnancy.
- Breastfeeding women may remain on the program for as long as one year after delivery (if they continue to breastfeed).
- Infants may remain on the WIC program until their first birthday.
- Once the baby turns one, they will return to be recertified as a child.
- Children may be eligible for WIC up to five years of age. They must be reassessed for eligibility every six months.
Health Benefits
Women who participate in WIC:
- Have longer pregnancies leading to fewer premature births
- Have a reduced rate of very low birth-weight babies
- Have fewer fetal and infant deaths
- Seek prenatal care earlier in pregnancy
- Consume more key nutrients such as iron, protein, calcium, and vitamin C
- Have greater breastfeeding initiation rates (Increased to 44% from 34% in 1990)
Infants whose mothers participate in WIC:
- Are breastfed at rates 10% and 25% more frequently than non-WIC participants
Children who participate in WIC:
- Have a greater assurance of normal growth
- Have better vocabulary test scores than non-participants (four to five year olds)
- Have better digit memory test scores than non-participants
- Demonstrate a 16% lower anemia rate after six months on the program
- Have increased immunization rates
- Have improved access to regular health care
- Show improvements in diet quality
Cost of serving a Pregnant Woman in WIC
- It costs approximately $530 a year to serve a pregnant woman in WIC
- One WIC dollar spent on a pregnant woman saves $1.92 to $4.21 in Medicaid for the newborn and mother
- It costs $22,000 per pound to raise a low or very low birth-weight baby to normal weight
- It costs $40 per pound to provide WIC services to pregnant women
Cost of Low and Very Low Birth-Weight Babies
- Improved birth-weight reduces Medicaid cost on average of $12,000 to $15,000 per infant
- $1.2 billion in non-tax revenues have been generated in one year through the competitive bidding of infant formula, thus allowing WIC to serve 1.7 million participants
- An exclusively breastfed WIC infant saves Medicaid and WIC $160 per month in the first six months of life
Income:
- The average number of persons in a WIC family is four
- The average income of a participant is $10,808 annually
- More than one-third of participants do not participate in any other federal assistance programs
Age
- 83% of the pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women on WIC are between the ages of 18-34
- Only 10% are under the age 17
Racial Distribution:
- 40% of all WIC participants are White
- 31% are Hispanic
- 24% are Black
Education Level:
- On average, women participants have 12 years of education
WIC Food Packages across the nation were recently changed to better meet the nutritional needs of WIC participants and encourage healthier eating habits. The new food packages provide more participant choice and a wider variety of foods than the previous food packages. Foods such as tortillas, brown rice, soy-based beverage, and a wide choice of fruits and vegetables will provide state agencies increased flexibility in prescribing culturally appropriate food packages.
Major Changes to WIC Food Packages
Foods
- Fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned) added
- Whole grain cereals, breads,tortillas and brown rice added
- Increased number of cereals that are at least 50 percent whole grain
- Baby foods added – fruits and vegetables for all infants and meat for exclusively breastfed infants
Alternatives
- Soy beverage and tofu for milk
- Brown rice, soft corn, or whole wheat tortillas for whole wheat bread
- Canned beans for dried beans
- Canned salmon in addition to canned tuna (for the exclusively breastfeeding woman)
Quantities
- Quantities of milk, eggs, and juice and cheese are reduced for women and children
- Juice is eliminated from infant packages
- Quantities of infant formula are reduced for breastfed and older infants
Foods available to WIC participants will be higher in fiber and lower in fat. Under the new plan, children 1 year or older will receive less milk, cheese and fruit juices than before, and cereal choices will be revised to include whole grain options.
Nationwide, WIC serves about 8.2 million people, most of whom are infants and children up to the age of five. The Georgia WIC Program is the nation's seventh largest Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and currently serves an estimated 322,000 clients every month. WIC food packages are aligned with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and infant feeding practice guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
To learn more about Georgia’s WIC Program please visit us at http://health.state.ga.us/programs/wic or call 1-800-228-9173.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this instituion is prohibited from discrimnating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disablity. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Do you have questions about this program? Ask at info@eastmetrohealth.com
Source: http://health.state.ga.us/pdfs/wic/wic.faq.pdf