WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) is a nutrition education program that provides supplemental foods, nutritional counseling, and health care information and referrals. It is administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Health and is available to children under five years old, infants, and pregnant or breast-feeding women who live in Pennsylvania, meet income eligibility requirements, and are at medical or nutritional risk. Individuals need not be unemployed in order to apply for benefits.

WIC provides supplemental healthful foods, such as milk, fruit juices, and eggs, through food vouchers which participants then redeem at WIC-authorized stores. Many times, these types of foods are lacking in the diets of limited-resource individuals. WIC also offers nutrition counseling to its participants in order to teach them about the importance of positive dietary behaviors. Adequate medical care, including proper immunizations, is likewise addressed in the program.

For more information, contact Barbara Sterne, Pennsylvania Department of Health, P.O. Box 90, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 17108, 717-783-1289.

WIC • Diabetes Control • 5-A-Day