The new platform facilitates access to the nutrition program for women, babies and children in the state of South Carolina.
The Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federal nutrition assistance program that aims to improve the health of pregnant women, nursing mothers, and women who have recently given birth, as well as infants and children under the age of five. years who are at nutritional risk. WIC provides access to healthy foods, nutrition education, screening, and counseling for eligible families. Beneficiaries receive an electronic card or coupons to purchase food such as cereals, fruits, vegetables, eggs and baby food in authorized stores.
Despite being a federal program, WIC is administered at the state level by local health agencies and health departments, in the case of South Carolina by the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). In this way, the immigration status of the person seeking access to this program does not matter, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria, related to the economic situation of the family and the nutritional risk status of the participants. Therefore, immigrants with and without documents can access these benefits.
DHEC recently launched an online tool to facilitate access to WIC for the population. This new platform allows you to present a pre-application for the program, by creating an account to upload the necessary documents and schedule an in-person appointment.
“WIC participation in South Carolina has grown from 83,209 in January 2022 to 90,863 in January 2023,” said DHEC Office of Community Nutrition Services Director Berry Kelly. Therefore, with the adoption of this new tool, the health authorities expect the numbers to continue to rise.
Currently, WIC offers its assistance to about half of the eligible population in the state, that is, families and households with an income less than 185% of the poverty level.
Learn more at the following link: https://scdhec.gov/health/women-infants-children-wic-nutrition-program