CHENANGO COUNTY – The Women’s, Infants and Children program offered through Opportunities for Chenango has seen a lot of new faces this year, and with numbers expected to grow even more next year, the program is instituting some changes to encourage healthy nutrition.
The WIC program provides checks for WIC foods to eligible pregnant women, children up to age 5, mothers of babies up to 6 months old and breastfeeding mothers of babies up to a year old. In addition to the food assistance, WIC provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support and assistance and referrals to other agencies.
Traditionally, WIC provides checks for milk, cheese, cereal, fruit juice, eggs, peanut butter and infant formula, but Director Katha Root explained, in an effort to promote healthy nutrition, the program has added additional food items to the list. In addition to the traditional products, WIC now also provides assistance with fresh, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables whole grain breads and rice, and jarred baby foods. “We’re trying to promote foods that are high in fiber and low in fat because of the obesity problem,” Root said.
The changes to the WIC program came as the result of a study by the USDA that said individuals need grains, fruits and vegetables in their diets. New York was the first state to make the changes to the WIC program.
In addition to the changes in the food program, the Chenango County WIC office is also increasing their efforts to encourage women to breastfeed. Two new breastfeeding counselors were added to the WIC office this year. Micki Kinney, one of the counselors explained her job is to talk to all prenatal women about the advantages of breastfeeding and to allow them to make an educated decision. In addition, the program offers support through the lactation period.
“We’re trying to give these women the resources they need and to educate them that formula shouldn’t be the norm. [Breastfeeding] is what you should do,” Kinney said. She explained that most organizations recommend that mothers breastfeed for at least the first six months. “As long as it is mutually acceptable for the mother and child, you should breast feed as long as possible,” Kinney said, explaining that she was hired because of her experience with WIC and her record of breastfeeding all of her children.
Another new program that WIC is instituting this year is a car seat installation program. After receiving a $2,500 grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, WIC is now offering free car seat installation. The program began March 2, and already 9 car seats have been given to those who need them and properly installed in their vehicles.
“A lot of people come in with car seats that are 10 to 12 years old,” said program coordinator Heidi Seymour. She explained that car seats have an expiration date, and should not be used if they are more than 6 years old. In addition, she explained that some people use seats that are picked up at yard sales or those that are handed down from friends without knowing if the seat has been through a vehicle accident. “If a car seat was in a crash, it should be throw away and replaced,” Seymour said.
WIC provides the car seats and the installation at no charge to those who need them. Next year, Seymour said the organization is hoping to receive a larger grant so they can provide more seats.
According to Root, in Chenango County, 1,650 participants are enrolled in the WIC program each month. “The state gives us a certain number they would like to see us have each month. Right now, we’re at 103 percent of that amount,” Root explained. “More people have called who were never on WIC before, and we have a lot of people who are back on WIC after they had gotten off. Most who have called are eligible,” Root said.
Root said anyone who is at all interested in the WIC program or any of the services they offer should call OFC at 334-7114. Income eligibility can be discussed on the phone.