November 13, 2015
Contact: Doug Bolnick, Public Information Officer (636) 949-7408
St. Charles County, Missouri – The St. Charles County Department of Community Health and the Environment has renewed its contract with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to continue operating the popular Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) through 2016. St. Charles County’s WIC program provides specific supplemental foods and nutrition education at no cost to qualifying pregnant or breastfeeding women, postpartum women, infants and children up to age five.
Studies confirm that women who participate in WIC have fewer low birth-weight babies, experience fewer infant deaths, see the doctor earlier in pregnancy and eat healthier. The primary services provided include health screening, risk assessment, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion and referrals to additional health care.
By participating, eligible families will receive checks or packages of nutritious foods designed to maintain overall health and aid in development. WIC supplemental food packages are specially chosen to provide foods high in protein, iron, calcium and vitamins A and C. Participants are eligible to receive milk and cheese; eggs; whole-grain bread products and hot or cold cereals; 100% fruit juices, whole fruits, and vegetables. Because it’s determined to be the ideal food source for babies, the WIC program encourages breastfeeding and provides breastfeeding support, baby foods and infant cereal. For women who cannot, or choose not to breastfeed, infants may receive supplemental, iron-fortified formula.
Funded and administered at the federal level through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and managed at the state level by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (Bureau of Nutrition Services and WIC), St. Charles County’s WIC program operates through the Division of Public Health (located at 1650 Boone’s Lick Road in St. Charles, 63301). Services are provided, by scheduled appointment, from 8:30 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (except holidays). Persons interested in applying for WIC services in St. Charles County should make an appointment by phone at (636) 949-7402.
St. Charles County WIC participants must meet income guidelines, be a Missouri resident and be individually determined to be at “nutritional risk” by a health professional. The current income guideline schedule is available online at http://health.mo.gov/living/families/wic/eligibility_income.php. For these guidelines, pregnant women are counted as two family members when eligibility is determined.
In accordance with federal law and USDA policy, the Department of Community Health and the Environment 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 (866) 632-9992 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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