1. WIC at a Glance: A Public- Private Partnership Michele Y. van Eyken, MPH, RD, Chief Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program California Department of Public Health California WIC Association (CWA) Webinar November 18, 2011

2. WIC Nutrition Program 100 percent federal funds U.S. Department of Agriculture and State Health Agency- administered; Not an entitlement, WIC serves as many as possible within a capped grant appropriated annually by Congress; Rebate income.

3. WIC Offices throughout California 650 offices Most towns and major urban shopping areas in every county Services to1.48 million monthly

4. Updated Baby Statistics Over 63 percent of babies born in California in 2010 participated in the WIC Program

5. Program Services Referrals to Needed Health and Social Services Most infants and children (92%) have health coverage; WIC serves as a “gateway” to other needed services: Immunizations Substance abuse recovery Domestic violence services Dental screenings Early reading skills Parent education

6. Program Services Nutrition Education and Breastfeeding Support Individual sessions and group classes Newest adult learning methods Cooking demos and taste testing Focus on prevention and wellness

7. Program Services “Checks” for healthy foods: Can be used to purchase specific foods at any WIC- authorized retail food store; Average value is $64 per month per participant; Are used to purchase $93 million of food per month in California.

8. WIC Vendors and Offices-- Sample

9. WIC and California’s Retail Food Economy California WIC participants buy over $7 million of fruits and vegetables each month CA WIC redeems checks for 1,532,000 pounds of whole grains each month

10. WIC and California’s Retail Food Economy 5 million containers of baby food/ month – an 84% increase in sales; WIC rebate contracts supports services to > 300,000 per month.

11. Impact of Funding Reductions Federal WIC grant/ income drops by $700 M; CA must drop 100,000 participants per month; Loss of $85 M per year in food revenue.

12. Priority Setting with Reductions

13. For More Information Michele Y. van Eyken, RD, MPH, Chief Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program California Department of Public Health Michele.van.Eyken@cdph.ca.gov Kim Frinzell, RD, Deputy Chief Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program Vendor Management and Training Services California Department of Public Health Kim.Frinzell@cdph.ca.gov