WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and Open Door partner together to provide the most vulnerable people in our communities with access to personalized care through nutrition and lifestyle choices. WIC mothers benefit from breastfeeding education and support, nutrition counseling for prenatal and postpartum women, child health and nutrition counseling, and more.
The WIC program has proven to play an essential role in the health care system by reducing fetal deaths and infant mortality rates, improving children’s diets, and helping children get ready to start school. The WIC team at Open Door – comprised of experienced, qualified nutritionists – helps promote healthy weight gain during pregnancy and reduces the risk of common prenatal complications such as iron deficiency anemia. Through nutritional intervention during infancy and early childhood, WIC helps to prevent childhood obesity, developmental issues, dental problems, and many other issues that affect the youth in our communities.
Through WIC, low income participants have access to nutritious foods, like baby foods, iron-fortified adult cereal, and fruits and vegetables, at local grocery stores, pharmacies, and farmer’s markets. Pregnant women participating in WIC receive prenatal care earlier and have free access to peer counselors and support groups. Children also are positively impacted, as they are more likely to have a regular source of medical care and have more up to date immunizations.
WIC Program Director Gina Devito says, “By providing WIC services right on site in many of our health centers and partnering with WIC in our communities, we are able to meet new moms’ and babies’ crucial nutrition needs as well as connect them to other community partners through which they can access vital resources. We are a support for people going through so much, and our families are grateful for our services and compassion during these very difficult times.”
