The Women, Infants, and Children Program – better known as “WIC” – which is provided by the Guilford County Division of Public Health, announced on Monday, March 31 that the county will begin providing mobile and digital offerings in its attempt to give more support toward the health and nutrition of local low-income families.
The WIC Program – which provides healthy foods and nutrition education to pregnant women – also offers counseling and breastfeeding education, and it links those who need help to other health and community resources.
In addition to working with women before they give birth, WIC also offers services that keep the baby and the family healthy after a child is born.
The program’s newly expanded services include:
- Remote appointments are available through a web portal called “MyNCWIC.”
- WIC and food and nutrition electronic benefits will be accessible through a different web portal.
- Family nutrition lessons are offered digitally at wichealth.org.
As part of the improvements, the program will also begin offering a walk-up WIC mobile clinic for new and current participants. The mobile unit will be stopping in designated community locations on the first, second and third Tuesdays of each month.
Erin Cashwell, the nutrition program director for the Guilford County Division of Public Health, said this week that people can expect to see more upgrades to the program in the future.
“We are committed to evolving our program to meet the changing needs of the local families we serve,” Cashwell said. “Our efforts will ensure families have support when it is needed the most, while on the go or in the comfort of their homes. By increasing our mobile and digital offerings, we are making WIC as accessible and convenient as possible for participants.”
To be eligible for the WIC program, someone must be a pregnant woman, a breastfeeding woman who’s had a baby in the last 12 months, or a woman who has had a baby in the last six months.
They also must live in North Carolina and meet the income eligibility requirements: The gross annual household income can’t exceed 185 percent of the Federal poverty income guidelines.
(All Medicaid, Work First, and Food and Nutrition Services recipients – formerly known as “food stamps” – automatically meet the WIC income eligibility criteria.)
Women in the program must also have an identified nutritional risk as determined by a health professional.
Infants and children under 5 years of age may also be subject to the program’s benefits.
The new expanded offerings build upon the longstanding in-person WIC program services offered by the Guilford County Division of Public Health in Greensboro at 1100 E. Wendover Ave. and in High Point at 501 E Green Dr.
Both locations are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You can learn more about Guilford County’s WIC Program – or make an appointment – by visiting Guilford County Public Health online or by calling 336-641-3214 for Greensboro services, or 336-641-7571 for High Point services.
