WIC Program Available for Young Moms and Children at Health Department

Vermilion County Health Department WIC Coordinator Brenda Adams recently joined Laura Williams on 1490 WDAN’s Community Connection program.

WIC still stands for Women, Infants, and Children; and it’s there for qualifying mothers from the time they are pregnant, up until your child turns five years old.  As Adams reminded us, anyone on Medicaid or with a Link Card automatically qualifies for WIC.  Then, there are income guidelines.  So to find out more, please call the Health Department.

AUDIO: If you’re talking about signing up for WIC when you first get pregnant, you’re talking about almost six years of service.  I think there’s probably a lot of people in Vermilion County and Illinois that qualify for WIC services.  We’d encourage you to call; find out if you are eligible.

Just call 217-431-2662, and then press 1.

Not only are you able to purchase food at stores through the modern day WIC EBT Card, but as Public Health Administrator Douglas Toole reminded us on the program, you can also receive coupons to buy nutritious food from local sources.

AUDIO: They’ve really expanded it into farmer’s markets.  So it’s a chance to get locally grown fruits and vegetables; helping support our local farmers, as well as getting those foods to young parents and young kids in a different sort of atmosphere.  Not just the grocery story, but at the farmer’s markets.

And more than providing food, WIC is also an education program for young mothers; and Adams and Williams both participated in their young mom days.  There’s important education about nutrition.  And Adams sites another thing they can help you with: learning the proper way to breastfeed your baby.

AUDIO: If we have a postpartum mom that just is coming out of the hospital, that is wanting to breast feed, and is having some difficulty; we invite those participants to come in and see one of our lactation consultants.  They will actually sit down with them in an office and go through exactly; maybe what a nurse did at the hospital.

Once again, that number to call is 217-431-2662, and then press 1.

TO HEAR THE ENTIRE PROGRAM, PLEASE GO TO  https://vermilioncountyfirst.com/the-community-connection/