Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a special supplemental nutrition program which provides services to pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children up to their 5th birthday based on nutritional risk and income eligibility. The primary services provided are health screening, risk assessment, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion and referrals to health care. Supplemental food is provided at no cost to participants.
Past experience shows that pregnant women who participate in the WIC Program have fewer low birth weight babies, experience fewer infant deaths, see the doctor earlier in pregnancy and eat healthier.
Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program
The Pike County Health Department is actively offering support for breastfeeding moms through the newly implemented Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program, as well as resources, information, and tools, including access to breast pumps.
Brittany Dain, Breastfeeding Peer Counselor at Pike County Health Department WIC office, is a mother of two children and is available to WIC moms for any breastfeeding concerns or questions.
Prenatal and postnatal moms who come to the Pike County Health Department WIC office are offered a listening ear, information, education and support by Brittany Dain, the Pike County Health Department’s Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, as well as a breastfeeding supportive staff and environment. With the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program, the Pike County Health Department’s WIC program is more adequately staffed to provide more one on one support by providing more in-depth counseling for those prenatal and postpartum women with questions and concerns about breastfeeding. It will allow the department to have a more prominent role in their journey to successfully breastfeeding their infants, giving them access to people who know and understand their frustrations, to give them advice on different techniques to use for greater success, and an added resource for other possible complications or problems that could arise.
The Pike County Health Department is taking the commitment to support breastfeeding seriously. The department’s new facility features a private room that is appropriately set up for breastfeeding moms.
Breastfeeding Newsletter
- March 2012 Issue - Breastfeeding protections in the law
- January 2012 Issue - There’s more to it than milk!
- December 2011 Issue - The Importance of a Good Start
Eligibility for WIC
Applying for WIC is easy, and those who are unsure if they would qualify are still encouraged to apply. To be eligible for WIC in Missouri, participants must be a resident of Missouri, meet income guidelines, and medical/nutritional guidelines. If eligible, participants will be given nutrition education, referrals and checks for nutritious foods to buy at local participating grocery stores.
For more information, please contact the Public Health office at (573) 324-2111, visit us at 1 Health Care Place, Bowling Green, or contact us by email.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (voice) or (202) 260-1026 (local). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.