Transcript Women, Infants, & Children (WIC)

Women, Infants, & Children
(WIC)
Greg Dills, Stephy Gorgeny, Annie
Janzen, & Sandra Seibert
Through research and interviews, our group was able to obtain
information about the inter-workings of the WIC program. We discovered
how helpful this program is, the positive effects it has on pregnant and
single low-income mothers and their unborn or young children. In a
society where public assistance programs are surrounded by an aura of
stigmatism, WIC is a provider of nutritious food, the most frequently
purchased infant formula and overall help to those who are working and
trying to raise children simultaneously while on a low-income budget.
What is it?
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The special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants,
and children
More than 7.5 million people receive WIC benefits each month
Purpose is to safeguard the health of low-income women,
infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk
What is it? (Cont.)
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Nutritious foods are provided to supplement the diet, nutrition
education and counseling, screenings, and referrals to other
health, welfare, and social services
Available in every state and every county
It is a federal block grant program. Congress authorizes a
specific amount (5.235 billion in 2005) of funds each year for the
program and it is administered by Food and Nutrition Services
Eligibility
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Must meet the following requirements:
Categorical- Pregnant women (through end of pregnancy),
breastfeeding (up to infant’s first birthday), non-breastfeeding
postpartum
Residential-Applicants must live in the state in which they apply,
they may be required to live in a local service area and apply at a
WIC clinic that serves that area, applicants are not required to
live in the area for a certain amount of time
Income- (In 2005-2006)- less than or equal to 185% of the
poverty guidelines
Annual Income Guidelines
(2005-2006)
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1 person=$17,705
2 people=$23,736
3 people=$29,767
4 people=$35,798
5 people=$41,829
6 people=$47,860
Each additional person=$6,031
Eligibility (Cont.)
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Nutrition Risk-Applicants must be seen by a nutritionist who
determines whether the individual is at nutrition risk. “Nutrition
risk” means that an individual has medical or dietary-based
conditions.
Examples of medical-based risks include: diabetes,
hypertension, anemia, younger than 16, any severe medical
condition, short time between pregnancies, etc.
Examples of diet-based risks would include: under-or-over
weight for height, malnourishment, poor dietary intake, smoking,
drugs, etc.
Automatic Income Eligibility- Those eligible to receive Food Stamps,
Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or other
state-administered programs
WIC Food Packages
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Targeted nutrients are protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A & C
These tend to be low in the diets of the population that WIC
serves
WIC determines what foods you can get to meet nutritional
needs
Major Foods Provided
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Milk
Juice
Cereal
Eggs
Cheese
Peanut butter
Carrots (for breastfeeding women only)
Tuna (for breastfeeding women only)
Beans
*The amount and types of foods depend on whether the food is being provided for an
infant (up to 12 months), a child up to five years, a pregnant woman, a nonbreastfeeding woman (post-partum, up to six months), or a breastfeeding woman (up
to one year).
Specifications are given for the forms that each food is allowed to be purchased in
WIC STATISTICS
WIC STATISTICS
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Congress appropriated $5.235 billion for WIC
in Fiscal Year 2005
$33.69 per person in Ohio per month
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Approximately 267, 300 caseloads in the
State of Ohio
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122,884 are children
81,382 are infants
63,034 are women
WIC STATISTICS (cont.)
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Total of 3464 people receiving WIC aid monthly in
2001 in Allen County
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267,300 in Ohio alone in 2004
WIC cannot currently serve all eligible people
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Approximately 74% of those eligible are served.
Once a local WIC agency reaches is max caseload
vacancies are filled based WIC determined priority levels
Found at (http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/FAQs/faq.htm#7)
WIC STATISTICS (cont.)
Residents Served Monthly by WIC Program - Allen County 2001
White
Black
Hispanic
American
Indian
Asian
Other
TOTAL
Women
637
185
11
0
Infants
718
258
11
0
Children
1,117
430
18
0
TOTAL
2,472
873
40
0
2
3
838
2
36
1,025
2
34
1,601
6
73
3,464
WIC BENEFITS
WIC BENEFITS
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Reduces fetal deaths and infant mortality
Reduces low birth weight rates and increases the
duration of pregnancy
Improves the growth of nutritionally at-risk infants
and children
Decreases the incidence of iron deficiency anemia
in children
Improves the dietary intake of pregnant and
postpartum women and improves weight gain in
women
WIC BENEFITS (cont)
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Pregnant women in WIC receive prenatal care
earlier
Children are more likely to have a regular source of
medical care and immunizations
Children who receive WIC benefits demonstrate
improved intellectual development
SIGNIFICANTLY improves children’s diets
WIC BENEFITS (cont)
WIC INFANT FORMULA REBATE SYSTEM
 Mothers are encouraged to breastfeed their children, but WIC State
agencies provide infant formula for those who choose not to
breastfeed
 WIC State agencies are legally required to have competitively bid
infant formula rebate contracts with infant formula manufacturers
 Stores are required to supply at least one brand from a number of
brands.
WIC BENEFITS (cont)
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The brand varies based on each State’s individual
rebate contract
Due to this requirement State WIC agencies have
been able to serve more people.
In 2003 rebate savings were $1.52 billion
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This made it possible for WIC to support approx. 1.9 million
extra participants
Or, approx. 25% of the estimated average monthly
caseload
Typical Grocery List (per month)
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A woman participant receives 5 gallons of milk, 2
pounds of cheese, 2 dozen eggs, 2 boxes of ironenriched cereal, 2 gallons of juice and 1 jar of
peanut butter OR 1 pound of beans each month.
A typical infant that is not breastfeeding receives 31
cans of iron-fortified formula monthly.
1 child receives 4 gallons of milk, 1 pound of
cheese, 1 dozen eggs, 2 boxes of iron-enriched
cereal, 1 gallon of juice and 1 jar of peanut butter or
1 pound of beans each month.
Process of obtaining WIC foods
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Potential participant applies through the Ohio
Department of Health, where she is issued a
coupon based on her health. This coupon
entitles her to a certain amount of food in the
grocery store per month.
She presents the coupon upon purchasing
her items, the grocery store then submits it
back to the Department of Health, and they
reimburse the store for the products.
Vendor Contracts
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Grocery stores must apply for the right to carry WIC
foods, and are granted a contract which is valid for
1-3 years.
Before becoming authorized, the administration
must attend a WIC training program.
2 types of contracts offered:
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1. regular (Ohio Dept. of Health reimburses the actual
amount of sale to vendor.)
2. Cost-Containment (grocery store will not accept more than
80% of the lowest cost of the products. For example, the
amount printed on the food is $10. The actual sale price of
the food is $9.50. The Ohio Dept. of Health reimburses the
vendor $8.
Sources
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http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/
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Myers, Deborah Prof. Public Health, Nutrition, and Policy Lecture Notes.
Bluffton University, 2005.
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http://odh.state.ohio.us/