WIC stands for Women, Infants and Children. WIC’s goal is to improve the health and nutrition of moms and kids. It is well known that pregnancy and early childhood are among the most important times for growth and development and New York State WIC is here to help. The NYS WIC Program provides breastfeeding support, nutrition counseling, health education, health care referrals, referrals to other services, and nutritious foods! The fundamental purpose of the program is to ensure the health and well-being of income eligible families with young children. WIC provides individually tailored food prescriptions issued to each participant for specific types and brands of foods that meet strict nutrition requirements.
During Part One of your certification/recertification appointment a WIC Associate will walk you through the eligibility process to ensure you meet the criteria. You will need to show proof of the following documents:
In addition, you may be asked to bring:
An eWIC card is like a debit card. You can use your eWIC card to buy WIC-approved foods at WIC stores. Your Nutritionist will add your family’s benefits to your eWIC account. You will get a list of your family’s WIC benefits that will have start and end dates for your benefits.
Jefferson and Lewis County WIC offers a free breastfeeding support group for ALL moms in our area! Pregnant, breastfeeding and breastfeeding-supportive moms are welcome to join us and receive:
To reduce risk of transmission of COVID-19 from the mother to the newborn, facilities should consider temporarily separating (i.e., separate rooms) the mother who has confirmed COVID-19 or is a Patient Under Investigation (PUI) from her baby until the mother’s transmission-based precautions are discontinued.
During temporary separation, mothers who intend to breastfeed should be encouraged to express their breast milk to establish and maintain milk supply. If possible, a dedicated breast pump should be provided. Prior to expressing breast milk, mothers should practice hand hygiene. After each pumping session, all parts that come into contact with breast milk should be thoroughly washed and the entire pump should be appropriately disinfected per the manufacturer’s instructions. This expressed breast milk should be fed to the newborn by a healthy caregiver.
If a mother and newborn do room in and the mother wishes to feed at the breast, she should put on a face mask and practice hand hygiene before each feeding.
