Nutrition program helps pregnant women, infants, children eat right
Woodbury County has more than its share of families using WIC
By Michele Linck Journal staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Registered dietician Sharon Schroeder may be the biggest supporter of the WIC program in all of Iowa. As nutrition services director for the Siouxland District Health Department, she oversees the program in Woodbury County, the biggest user of WIC in Iowa.
WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, supplies nutrition education and vouchers for a select group of nutritious foods to pregnant, postpartum and nursing women, and to children up to age 5, who meet the income guidelines.
"It's really nourishing that growing infant, from shortly after conception on," Schroeder said. "It's nourishing that young brain. It is the brain that is going to work in our society. The bulk of brain growth occurs up to age three, so by all means we need to make sure the youngest of our population is well nourished."
WIC serves 65 percent of babies born to Woodbury County residents, far above the 45 percent statewide average; (56 percent of the county's 1- to 4 year olds also get WIC services). And 62 percent of pregnant women in Woodbury County receive WIC services, compared with 44 percent statewide and 33 percent nationwide.
"This is a picture of our community," Schroeder said. "The majority of our families that participate in this program are working families. They just don't earn enough." Roughly half of WIC participants are white, a third are Hispanic and the rest other races or ethnic groups, she said.
Women and children qualify for WIC if they live in households where the income falls at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Right now that 185 percent level is $29,084 for a family of four.
"It's not a welfare program," Schroeder said, "it's a helping hand program. It's not going to feed anybody for a month."
Schroeder said the program not only educates, but specifies what foods can be bought. If clients spread out the milk, cereal and juice over the month, she said, WIC foods will meet all their calcium, iron and Vitamin C needs.
In fact, she said, studies show that WIC clients are healthier overall than similar groups who use the food stamp program. She attributes that to the fact that WIC is a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and food stamps are a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
WIC clients must attend a nutrition instruction appointment each month to receive their vouchers. The children must be weighed, measured and have their red-blood cell level checked every six months to be sure they are thriving or look for reasons they aren't.
The state of Iowa figures the value of the monthly WIC food vouchers at $35 per client. The vouchers must be spent only on approved foods such as milk, eggs, cheese, beans and peanut butter, as well as 30 specific brands of cereal, chosen by WIC for their vitamin and iron content.
WIC is a grocery and banking industry unto itself: $2.18 million in WIC vouchers were spent last year in Woodbury County grocery stores and farmers markets alone. Each voucher has a number and is tracked like a bank check. If a grocery charges more than a "reasonable amount," it is not reimbursed at all.
Schroeder, for 20 years a pediatric dietician at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, thinks WIC money is well spent. She said, for example, that it costs about $600 to provide the right foods for a woman through her pregnancy, but $22,000 to help a premature baby gain just one pound. Undernourished women have markedly more premature babies, she said.
Overall, Schroeder said, $1 spent in WIC has been shown to save $7 in medical care. And, the Iowa Department of Public Health claims more than 70 studies have demonstrated the program's effectiveness.
Twenty Iowa agencies run WIC programs covering all 99 Iowa counties. In Iowa, no state tax dollars are used. The Sioux City WIC office is open every weekday, but smaller communities host monthly WIC clinics staffed by registered nurses or registered dieticians.
Michele Linck may be reached at (712) 293-4227 or michelelinck@siouxcityjournal.com
Woodbury County WIC fiscal 2004 at a glance*
* 3,700 clients served monthly
* 6,065 unduplicated clients served
* 65% of Woodbury County newborns (45% is Iowa avg.)
* 62% of Woodbury County pregnancies served (44 % is Iowa avg.)
* 56% of Woodbury County 1 to 4 year olds served
* 59% breast-fed at birth, 50% at 1 week, 36% at 1 month and 17% at 6 months
* Over $2.18 million spent in Woodbury County groceries for WIC foods
* Avg. Monthly food package: infant formula, $101/month; woman or child, $35/month
* Over $51,000 spent at local farmers markets using WIC Farmers Market checks
*Intervention site for USDA education on vegetables
*Source: Siouxland District Health Department
WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, supplies nutrition education and vouchers for a select group of nutritious foods to pregnant, postpartum and nursing women, and to children up to age 5, who meet the income guidelines.
"It's really nourishing that growing infant, from shortly after conception on," Schroeder said. "It's nourishing that young brain. It is the brain that is going to work in our society. The bulk of brain growth occurs up to age three, so by all means we need to make sure the youngest of our population is well nourished."
WIC serves 65 percent of babies born to Woodbury County residents, far above the 45 percent statewide average; (56 percent of the county's 1- to 4 year olds also get WIC services). And 62 percent of pregnant women in Woodbury County receive WIC services, compared with 44 percent statewide and 33 percent nationwide.
"This is a picture of our community," Schroeder said. "The majority of our families that participate in this program are working families. They just don't earn enough." Roughly half of WIC participants are white, a third are Hispanic and the rest other races or ethnic groups, she said.
Women and children qualify for WIC if they live in households where the income falls at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Right now that 185 percent level is $29,084 for a family of four.
"It's not a welfare program," Schroeder said, "it's a helping hand program. It's not going to feed anybody for a month."
Schroeder said the program not only educates, but specifies what foods can be bought. If clients spread out the milk, cereal and juice over the month, she said, WIC foods will meet all their calcium, iron and Vitamin C needs.
In fact, she said, studies show that WIC clients are healthier overall than similar groups who use the food stamp program. She attributes that to the fact that WIC is a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and food stamps are a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
WIC clients must attend a nutrition instruction appointment each month to receive their vouchers. The children must be weighed, measured and have their red-blood cell level checked every six months to be sure they are thriving or look for reasons they aren't.
The state of Iowa figures the value of the monthly WIC food vouchers at $35 per client. The vouchers must be spent only on approved foods such as milk, eggs, cheese, beans and peanut butter, as well as 30 specific brands of cereal, chosen by WIC for their vitamin and iron content.
WIC is a grocery and banking industry unto itself: $2.18 million in WIC vouchers were spent last year in Woodbury County grocery stores and farmers markets alone. Each voucher has a number and is tracked like a bank check. If a grocery charges more than a "reasonable amount," it is not reimbursed at all.
Schroeder, for 20 years a pediatric dietician at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, thinks WIC money is well spent. She said, for example, that it costs about $600 to provide the right foods for a woman through her pregnancy, but $22,000 to help a premature baby gain just one pound. Undernourished women have markedly more premature babies, she said.
Overall, Schroeder said, $1 spent in WIC has been shown to save $7 in medical care. And, the Iowa Department of Public Health claims more than 70 studies have demonstrated the program's effectiveness.
Twenty Iowa agencies run WIC programs covering all 99 Iowa counties. In Iowa, no state tax dollars are used. The Sioux City WIC office is open every weekday, but smaller communities host monthly WIC clinics staffed by registered nurses or registered dieticians.
Michele Linck may be reached at (712) 293-4227 or michelelinck@siouxcityjournal.com
Woodbury County WIC fiscal 2004 at a glance*
* 3,700 clients served monthly
* 6,065 unduplicated clients served
* 65% of Woodbury County newborns (45% is Iowa avg.)
* 62% of Woodbury County pregnancies served (44 % is Iowa avg.)
* 56% of Woodbury County 1 to 4 year olds served
* 59% breast-fed at birth, 50% at 1 week, 36% at 1 month and 17% at 6 months
* Over $2.18 million spent in Woodbury County groceries for WIC foods
* Avg. Monthly food package: infant formula, $101/month; woman or child, $35/month
* Over $51,000 spent at local farmers markets using WIC Farmers Market checks
*Intervention site for USDA education on vegetables
*Source: Siouxland District Health Department
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