Health Department Women, Infants & Children (WIC)is a Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children.

The Arkansas WIC Program is administered by the Arkansas Department of Health though a grant provided by the Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). This program provides supplemental foods and nutrition education to eligible pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants and children under age five.

Program goals:

• Provide supplemental foods high in nutrients during time of critical growth and development.
• Provide nutrition education designed to improve dietary habits and health status and to emphasize the relationship between nutrition and health.
• Inform participants about and encourage breastfeeding.
• Inform participants about and encourage participation in other health services.

Recent research studies have found several important results of the WIC program, including:

• Lower medical costs.
• Earlier prenatal care and more adequate weight gain for pregnant women.
• Greater birth weights for infants.
• Fewer miscarriages late in pregnancy.
• Better family diets that families not enrolled in WIC and increased intake of iron and vitamin C for infants and children.
• More regular sources of health care and more complete immunizations for children enrolled in WIC.

Arkansas WIC Program food expenditures in Benton County for the 2005 federal fiscal year was $2,598,747.92. This amount represents reimbursements to local grocery stores for WIC foods provided to WIC participants. We served approximately 9,676 clients.