Everything You Need to Know About WIC

I started working at Clinton County WIC in February of this year and every day I am so thankful to have a job that has such a huge impact on those in need. Women, Infants and Children, more commonly known as WIC, is a public health nutrition program that is funded through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The purpose of WIC is to provide education and proper nutrition to mothers of babies up to 6 months old, mothers of breastfeeding babies up to 12 months old and infants/children up to age 5. The wonderful people of WIC work to help families develop healthier habits so that they can live longer, happier lives!

How do I enroll? Call your local WIC agency or go online to find one closest to you! To qualify for WIC in New York State you must:

• Live in NYS
• Meet income limits OR get benefits from Medicaid, SNAP, or TANF
• 
  Have a dietary need

What’s New in WIC? 

• No more checks! WIC benefits are now on EBT cards.
• WIC2GO mobile app helps you track benefits, check upcoming appointments, and scan WIC approved items in the store.

What Does WIC Provide?

• Nutrition Advice: 
• Nutritionist can help with healthy meal planning and answer any nutrition-related questions.
• Breastfeeding Support: 
• Trained breastfeeding experts and peer counselors are available for support and education.
• Breast pumps are available to moms who breastfeed.
• Nutritious Foods: 
• Milk, cheese, yogurt, fresh produce, 100% juice, whole grains, cereal, eggs, formula, baby food and much more.
• Referrals to Other Services:
• Breastfeeding Experts
• Well baby and child care
• Medicaid
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Family Planning
• Head Start
• Domestic Violence
• Stop Smoking
• Vaccinations
• Prenatal Care
• Substance abuse 

Our goal is to provide families with the resources and education to live happier and healthier lives. We work hard to support the families we see in every way we can. Call us today to see if you or your loved ones qualify 518-565-4830.

Emily Hutchins, RD, CDN, CLC

WIC Public Health Nutritionist

Division of Health Planning and Promotion 

Goodbye WIC Checks, Hello 21st Century!

The new eWIC card.

Remember the days of WIC checks, long check out times, and limited selections? I definitely do!

If you don’t know much about WIC, you can learn more here. WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children and the program provides healthy foods, nutrition information, and breastfeeding support to qualifying families.

We used to print out paper checks for participants that would list several healthy food items to be purchased at WIC approved stores. Shopping with these WIC checks was….. not always easy, to say the least! That all changed this past September when the WIC program in New York got a huge upgrade.

• To start, no more paper checks! WIC foods are now loaded onto an EBT card called eWIC (a pretty card decorated with fruits and veggies). At the register, WIC foods are run through at the same time as other groceries. This makes it much faster and more private than the checks, which had to be processed as a separate transaction. With the checks, you had to purchase every item that was listed on the check at once, even if you didn’t need it all. The bottom line – eWIC allows you to purchase WIC foods with more flexibility and convenience, getting foods as you need them.
• New York State WIC also developed an app, WIC2GO, which you can download.  WIC2Go links to your eWIC card and tracks WIC purchases so that they can easily see what foods they have left to buy.  It also lets you see what foods are WIC approved. Not sure if something is WIC approved? No problem, simply scan the barcode before you even get to the register. 
• Some things will stay the same, however. Our Farmers Market Coupons will remain as paper checks. Each participant will continue to get $20 once a year to spend on locally grown produce from our wonderful food growers. Thanks to all the farmers and markets that signed up this year!

It’s been about 9 months since we switched to eWIC and the feedback has been great. Most of you are finding it much easier, faster, and more discreet than shopping with the paper checks. It’s almost hard to believe it was any other way now!

If it’s been a while since you’ve looked into WIC you may be surprised with all that’s changed. The food package has evolved over the years to include more choices , we have more breastfeeding support on staff, and the income guidelines have gone up. Having SNAP, Medicaid, or TANF is an automatic qualifier but you don’t need them to get WIC if you meet the income guidelines.  Our guidelines are at 185% the poverty level; so many working families may still be eligible. In fact, WIC serves 53% of the infants born the in the United States! If you are not sure if you qualify for WIC, just give us a call (518-565-4830) and we can chat with you.

Kara Lennon, IBCLC

Senior WIC Nutritionist

Health Care Services

Clinton County Health Department