May 22, 2018
Contact: Doug Bolnick, Department of Public Health Public Information Officer, 636-949-7408
St. Charles County, Missouri – To provide more assistance to growing families, the St. Charles County Division of Health Services — in partnership with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) — announces the expansion of income eligibility guidelines for participation in the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC). The new guidelines are effective through March 31, 2019.
To qualify for the St. Charles County WIC program, participants must earn less than the established income maximums, live in Missouri and be individually determined to be at nutrition risk by a health professional. Persons interested in applying should make an appointment by phone at 636-949-7402.
Below are the household income qualification guidelines for families of 2-5 members in St. Charles County. To view the entire income guideline schedule for larger families, as well as a Spanish language table, please visit health.mo.gov/living/families/wic/eligibility_income.php. For these guidelines, pregnant women are counted as two family members:
Family Size Annual Monthly Weekly
2 $30,451 $2,538 $586
3 $38,443 $3,204 $740
4 $46,435 $3,870 $893
5 $54,427 $4,536 $1,047
WIC provides specific nutritious supplemental foods and nutrition education at no cost to qualifying pregnant and breastfeeding women, postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five. WIC services include supplemental food packages, health screening, risk assessment, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion, and referrals to additional health care. The supplemental food packages are specially chosen to provide foods high in protein, iron, calcium and vitamins A and C.
The St. Charles County WIC staff recommends breastfeeding and offers a Breastfeeding Peer Counseling program to provide accurate information and support to those who wish to breastfeed their children. Trained staff and women in the community with personal breastfeeding experience lead this innovative program. Peer counselors are women who have breastfed their own babies and have undergone essential training to help assist others. Women who cannot or choose not to breastfeed may receive supplemental, iron-fortified formula for their infants.
Funded and administered at the federal level through the USDA and managed at the state level by the Missouri DHSS, Bureau of Nutrition Services and WIC, the St. Charles County WIC program is operated at the Division of Health Services office, located at 1650 Boone’s Lick Road in St. Charles. For information, please visit sccmo.org/WIC or call 636-949-7402.
In accordance with Federal law and USDA policy, the St. Charles County Department of Public Health is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington DC, 20250-9410 or call 800-632-9992 (voice) or 800-877-8339 (TTY) or 800-845-6136 (Spanish). This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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About the St. Charles County Department of Public Health
Through the efforts of its three divisions — Environmental Health and Protection, Health Services and Humane Services — the St. Charles County Department of Public Health provides a wide range of services that enhance the well-being of the community. To learn how the department assists this region or to find out about volunteer opportunities with any of the divisions, visit sccmo.org/PublicHealth or call 636-949-7400.
The mission of St. Charles County’s Division of Health Services is to promote healthy choices and improve the health of the community. To achieve these goals, program services include an Immunization Clinic for children and adults; nutrition education and supplemental food services for women, infants and children; chronic and communicable disease screening and prevention; Communicable Disease reporting and investigation; educational programming; the collection and distribution of birth and death certificates; assistance in applications for U.S. passports; and much more. For information on programs offered and to discover ways the division assists the community, visit sccmo.org/HealthServices or call 636-949-7400.