The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in Pima County is commemorating 50 years of giving low-income families essential nourishment and support. WIC has grown throughout the United States since its founding in the early 1970s, when its first clinic opened in Kentucky. According to Pima County’s media, the program provides families with wholesome foods and baby formula, as well as instructional materials and referrals. WIC currently provides free monthly services to about 10,200 people in Pima County. According to Monica Nicholas, the Pima County Health Department’s WIC program manager, “Our biggest demand is for the food and formula benefits we provide.”
Registered dietitians, who are specialists in food and nutrition, particularly in the vital areas of prenatal, postpartum, baby, and child nutrition, offer specialized advice at no cost. Nicholas informed the press in Pima County, “WIC clients have access to a registered dietitian at no cost.” Additionally, the initiative provides vouchers to be used at participating farmers markets to support local agriculture and guarantee access to fresh fruit.
WIC’s influence extends beyond supplying basic necessities; its Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program has won awards for helping nursing moms by offering lactation consultant services and breast pumps to qualified individuals. The same news release said, “A breastfeeding peer counselor is an individual who breastfed and supports clients in their own journey,” according to Nicholas. “They provide basic breastfeeding information and support and contact clients regularly during pregnancy, early days of breastfeeding and until the client chooses to wean their baby.” WIC’s eligibility requirements include having children under five, being pregnant, postpartum, nursing, or fulfilling specific poverty standards.
Statistics indicate that a noteworthy 53% of all newborns born in the United States are enrolled in WIC, underscoring the program’s significance. Nicholas told the Pima County newspaper, “WIC participation has been shown to improve breastfeeding rates and improve birth outcomes,” emphasizing the program’s extensive effects on community financial sustainability and public health. The information is available on their official website for anyone wishing to apply for WIC in Pima County.
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