The Value of WIC

Published: Wednesday, May 2, 2018

By KIM HORTON
Times-News Columnist

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC, began in 1972 with the goal of improving participants’ health and nutrition. This Federal grant program continues to meet its goals, but the benefits extend much further. We typically consider only the practical or tangible benefits such as participation or food packages. But it also makes a strong economic impact in our county.

Last year, the WIC Program in Henderson County provided $1,387,243.51 in healthy food purchases. That translates into a lot of families when you consider that the average WIC family, say a mother, child and infant, typically receives $120 per month in benefits. In addition, these purchases benefitted local stores as well as the county farmers who sell produce to them. Clients using WIC vouchers generated jobs and greater spending overall while shopping.

The number of people who can be served is limited by funding levels established by Congress on an annual basis. WIC is a health program that provides education and a support network for families who are both low and moderate-income households. It serves not only women and children but all caregivers of children under 5.

Basic healthy foods with a strong emphasis on fruits and vegetables are the cornerstone of the program. The benefits are intended to supplement a family’s grocery budget and not be a primary source for food. The foods included in the packages are high in nutrients determined to be beneficial for pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants and children. Examples include milk, cereal, whole-grain bread, brown rice, whole-wheat and soft-corn tortillas, fruits and vegetables, juice, cheese, tofu, soy-based beverage, dried or canned beans, peas and lentils, peanut butter and eggs.

WIC clients receive one-on-one counseling with a nutritionist at each visit. Topics range from choosing healthy drink choices to grocery shopping and preparing food on a limited budget. Education about making wise food choices throughout life can help prevent obesity, a public health challenge in Henderson County. The 2015 Community Health Assessment lists obesity as one of our four health priorities. With nutritional counseling, WIC is helping to support healthy lifestyles beginning in pregnancy and early childhood when lifelong health habits are being formed.

Breastfeeding education and support is another essential element of WIC. Educators include a board-certified lactation consultant, breastfeeding peer counselors and certified breastfeeding educators to assist and encourage new moms. A mother who has questions or difficulty with breastfeeding will feel at ease knowing that help is a phone call or visit away. In fact, many women who were initially opposed to breastfeeding have decided to breastfeed because of WIC. The proof is that Henderson County has one of the highest initiation breastfeeding rates in the state.

But beyond these practical benefits, WIC has positive effects on improved birth outcomes. By providing nutritious foods to a pregnant woman, WIC helps to improve her weight gain as well as increase the average birth weight of her newborn. Overall the impact of WIC results in longer pregnancies, fewer premature births and fewer infant deaths. In turn, this helps to contain ever increasing health care costs.

Children enrolled in WIC are more likely to have a regular source of medical care and have more up-to-date immunizations. Improved diets that increase intellectual development help to prepare them for school.

WIC will soon be making it easier for clients to use the program. On May 9, WIC will transition from paper vouchers to the eWIC debit card making a simpler checkout experience for WIC users.

WIC Nutrition Program Director Lori Bradley said that the cards will allow participants to buy only the foods they need. Participants will no longer need to separate WIC foods from other purchases. The cards also mean reduced monthly printing for WIC staff and time saved for WIC participants.

“The debit card will mean a new and improved WIC shopping experience for mothers and their children,” said Bradley. “Once you have the eWIC debit card, the food benefits will load automatically to the card. In addition, participants will be able to view their benefit balance, transaction history, WIC-approved foods, future benefits, and change their PIN number all online through a mobile app, mybnft.com.”

To celebrate the eWIC debit card, the WIC Program will host eWIC Celebration Day on Friday, May 25, from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Health Department located at 1200 Spartanburg Highway. The event will feature a bicycle rodeo and bicycle safety by Mary Smith and Joe Sanders of Active Kids WNC, fire safety training and fire truck tours by the Hendersonville City Fire Department, car seat safety tips by Kaye Brownlee, child passenger safety technician with the Health Department and adoptable pets from the Blue Ridge Humane Society. Snacks will be provided by the Hendersonville Community Co-op with giveaways from the Dairy Council. Parents must bring their child’s bicycle and helmet to participate in the bicycle rodeo.

Approximately 2,100 Henderson County clients participate in WIC, a supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children under the age 5. The program provides healthy supplemental foods and nutrition counseling for pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children.

To learn more about WIC, the eWIC debit card or the eWIC Celebration Day, visit hendersoncountync.gov/health or call 828-692-4223, option 5.

Kim Horton is the communications manager for the Henderson County Department of Public Health. She can be reached at khorton@hendersoncountync.org.

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