WIC Program
Coordinator of the Floyd County
WIC Program:
Krista Comer, MS, RD, CD
What does WIC stand for?

W=Women
 I=Infants
 C=Children
What is WIC?

WIC is a Federal grant program (each year
Congress specifies how much money the
program receives)
 WIC is a supplemental nutrition program
 WIC is a source for screenings and referrals
Who could be eligible?
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Pregnant women (through the remainder of the
current pregnancy up to 6 weeks after delivery)
Breastfeeding women (up until the infant is one
year of age)
Postpartum women who are not breastfeeding (up
until the infant is 6 months of age)
Infants (up until they are one year old)
Children ( up until they are 5 years old)
How is eligibility determined?

Each participant must qualify both
nutritionally as well as financially.
 They are screened according to their
income.
 They visit with a CPA (Certified
Professional Authority) to determine
nutritional needs.
Interesting Information

Of all infants born in the United States, WIC
serves 45%.
 As of 2008, the average monthly food cost per
person was $39.03.
 There are 2,000 local agencies in 10,000 clinic
sites, 50 State health departments, 34 Indian Tribal
Organizations, the District of Columbia, and 5
territories (Northern Mariana, American Samoa,
Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands).
How does WIC work?

Clients are given an appointment time
 They bring “proofs” to the appointment
– Proof of income, residency, identification on parent and
child, and WIC id folder

Proofs are screened by Clerks and entered into the
database
 If qualify financially, they are seen by the CPA
 They are asked a series of questions which is also
entered into the database
How WIC works continued…

Ht/Wt/Hgb
 Risk factors are identified by CPA
 Educated nutritionally
 Checks printed and explained
 Given packet and scheduled for next
appointment
VENA

Value
 Enhanced
 Nutrition
 Assessment
What is VENA?

Developed in collaboration with the Food
and Nutrition Service (FNS) and the
National WIC Association (NWA)
 It is a program designed to improve the
assessment process during a WIC visit and
individualize the information
Pre- and Post- VENA

Pre
– Quality of assessment is
–
–
–
–
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inconsistent across WIC
agencies
Use of diet histories
Assessment information not
always used effectively
Primary function is
nutrition risk id
No presumed dietary risk
criterion
Tendency to focus on
deficiency findings
Not always consistent with
participant-centered
nutrition

Post
– FNS provides policy for
–
–
–
–
–
–
quality nutrition assessment
No longer use diet histories
Enhances nutrition
assessment
Continues to identify
nutrition risk
(individualized)
Inclusion of presumed
dietary risk criterion
Positive approach based on
desired health goals rather
than deficiencies
Complements participantcentered nutrition
Risk Factors

Series of numbers to help CPAs identify
nutritional and medical needs
 Different ones to apply to each category of
individuals
 Educational materials provided to increase
awareness of risk factors
GOAL

To become more client centered instead of
trying to determine eligibility
 To have more conversations with clients
and open lines of communication
 To individualize each visit to meet that
persons needs nutritionally, educationally
and physically (tailoring the food package)
New WIC Food Package
•
•
•
In September of 2009, WIC started
providing more variety to their clients.
The amounts of the foods changed some.
The types of foods still depends on the
client type (i.e. prenatal, breastfeeding,
postpartum, child, infant)
Foods Available
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Milk/Cheese
Eggs
Dried Beans/Canned Beans/Peanut Butter
Juice
Cereal
Infant cereal
Baby food
Carrots*
Tuna, Pink Salmon, Sardines*
Formula*
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Whole grain products (bread, tortillas, rice)
How much is provided?
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Milk/Cheese = 4-6 gallons/month
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Eggs = 1 dozen/month

Dried Beans/Peanut Butter = 1 lb/18 oz jar

Juice = 2-3 units
How much continued…..

Cereal = 36 oz/month

Infant cereal = 24 oz/month after 6 months
of age

Baby food = 32-64 jars fruits & vegetables;
31 jars meats
How much continued…..
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Tuna, Pink Salmon, Sardines = 30 oz/month if
exclusively breastfeeding

Formula = approximately 910 oz/month (31 cans
of concentrate or 9 cans of powder)
Why these foods?

All of the foods selected are monitored and
have to meet certain nutritional standards
 All food groups are represented in the food
packages
 Calcium, iron, Vitamin C, Vitamin A and
fiber are some of the main benefits to the
clients
Checks

Participants are given a folder with the
names of the participants on it, the parents
signature, and up to 2 proxies who have to
sign in order to use the checks
 Each food item is printed on the checks and
the quantity
 Could have up to 4 checks a month per
participant
What else does WIC provide?

WIC not only provides food, but also
nutrition education
 It also provides referrals to other agencies
 It provides networking possibilities for
clients
Budget

Each year, I write a Grant to be approved by
the USDA and State WIC
 I am given an amount of money according
to my clinic’s caseload and then I have to
figure how to distribute it
 That amount has to include personnel,
supplies, printing, telephone, postage,
breastfeeding incentives, travel and rent.
Budget continued….

Each month, I send a report to the State
office accounting for the money used that
month.
 Each participant falls into a priority
according to their nutritional and medical
need. If budget cuts occur, they could be
dropped from the program (starting with the
least at risk)
Any Questions??
References

www.fns.usda.gov/wic
 www.nal.usda.gov/wic
 Indiana State Department of Health
– Pamphlet
– Training