WIC Assistance Available To Eligible Johnston County Families

SMITHFIELD, N.C. – The Johnston County Public Health Department is reminding local families that assistance is available through the Women, Infants and Children program, commonly known as WIC.

The program helps eligible pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children up to age 5 with nutrition assistance and related health services.

Applicants who receive Medicaid or EBT/SNAP benefits are automatically considered income-eligible for WIC.

“While adding more fruits and vegetables to these families’ diets is an important part of our program, participants get more than food from WIC,” said Cassidy Parker, Nutrition Program Director for Johnston County Public Health. “WIC offers families nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion and support, supplemental foods, and even health care referrals.”

North Carolina’s WIC program serves more than 200,000 participants each month.
According to the Health Department, studies have shown children enrolled in WIC are more likely to receive regular preventive health services and be better immunized than children who are not enrolled.

Participants also receive one-on-one counseling with a nutrition professional.
Breastfeeding education and support are also part of the program. WIC agencies have trained staff available to help mothers make informed decisions about feeding their babies.

Breastfeeding classes are available in English and Spanish.

The Health Department said Medicaid recipients who participate in WIC have lower infant mortality rates than Medicaid recipients who do not participate. WIC participation has also been associated with lower rates of low birth weight and premature births.

“WIC is so much more than people realize,” Parker said. “The nutrition education and healthy foods that WIC provides really give children a healthy start in life, which is so important.”

The Johnston County WIC program is available through the Johnston County Public Health Department at 517 N. Bright Leaf Boulevard in Smithfield.

Appointments may be scheduled between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
To qualify, an applicant must be a pregnant woman, a breastfeeding woman who has had a baby within the past 12 months, a woman who has had a baby within the past six months, an infant or a child up to age 5.

Applicants must also live in North Carolina and meet income requirements. Gross annual household income cannot exceed 185 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines.

People receiving Medicaid, Food and Nutrition Services, commonly known as food stamps, or Work First automatically meet the WIC income eligibility requirements.

Applicants must also have an identified nutritional risk as determined by a health professional.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact the Johnston County Public Health Department at 919-989-5255.