Special Supplemental Nutrition Program
Florida Department of Health recognizes the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) for its history of meeting the nutritional and health needs of Floridian women and children.
"WIC serves over 420,000 Floridians every month, State Surgeon General Ana M. Viamonte Ros, M.D., M.P.H. said. "In doing so, we not only meet the needs of women and children in our state, but we also save public and private health care dollars.
Eligible participants include:
* Pregnant or recently pregnant women
* Breastfeeding women
* Infants or children under age 5
Additional requirements:
* Low or moderate income
* Florida resident
* Special nutrition need that can be helped by WIC foods and nutrition counseling
WIC is engaged in reaching the migrant population, as well as enrolling eligible women during early months of pregnancy in order for WIC benefits to begin as soon as possible. Preliminary data from a University of Florida study on Medicaid women indicate that participation in WIC at any stage of pregnancy reduces low birth weight by 25%.
WIC provides participants with the following free services:
* Healthy foods
* Nutrition education and counseling
* Breastfeeding support
* Health care referrals
Eligible women and children participating in the WIC program receive food checks for milk, cheese, eggs, cereals high in iron, peanut butter or dry beans, and fruit or vegetable juices high in vitamin C. Breastfeeding women may also receive extra WIC foods, including carrots and canned tuna fish.
National evaluations of the WIC program have documented the following results:
* Information about regular medical care for children
* Improved diet for children and pregnant women
* Reduced incidence of low birth weight babies
* Reduced infant mortality
* Reduced occurrence of childhood anemia
* Improved access to children's dental care
Applicants can meet the income requirement if they are currently receiving Medicaid, Temporary Cash Assistance or Food Stamps. However, applicants do not have to be on a public assistance program to qualify for WIC.
Florida WIC is administered through the Florida Department of Health with services available in all 67 counties at approximately 230 WIC clinics statewide. Applicants should call WIC's toll-free number at 1-800-342-3556 or contact their local county health department to see if they are eligible. For more information about DOH programs, please visit the Department of Health's web site at www.doh.state.fl.us. To learn more about the Florida WIC program or to contact a local WIC office, go to www.FloridaWIC.org.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, WIC is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.