For the 2025 Federal Fiscal Year
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma State Department of Health’s Woman, Infants and Children (WIC) program is asking for input from individuals about the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program’s Operations.
Information shared with WIC will be considered for the State Plan of Program Operations for 2025. For comments to be considered, they must be received before Aug. 1, 2024.
Every month, over 72,000 Oklahomans participate in the WIC program.
WIC is a federally funded nutrition education and supplemental food program for low-income, pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to five years old. Eligibility is determined by nutritional risk and incomes falling below 185% of the poverty level.
“A priority of our program is to make sure those who are pregnant understand the importance of adequate nutrition throughout their pregnancy,” said Christina Windrix, the OSDH WIC Service Director. “Studies have shown that pregnant women who participate in WIC have longer pregnancies, resulting in fewer premature births, fewer low-birth-weight babies, and fewer fetal and infant deaths.”
The program also offers breastfeeding services and support to expectant and new mothers.
WIC’s goal is to provide mothers and eligible families with young children basic nutritional knowledge to ensure their children’s proper nutrition intake.
“Our program provides a monthly prescription of nutritious foods tailored to supplement the dietary needs of participants to ensure good health, growth and development,” said Windrix. “The foods are specifically chosen to provide consistency with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and establish dietary recommendations for infants and children under five years old.”
The selected foods also reinforce WIC nutrition education messages, address emerging public health nutrition-related issues, and provide wide appeal to the diverse WIC population.
WIC is housed within county health departments and independent contract clinics throughout the state and operates hand in hand with other public health programs to provide referral services to health care and social services.
Comments may be submitted electronically or by letter to:
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Attention WIC Service
123 Robert S. Kerr Ave., Suite 1702 Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6406
For more information about WIC, click here.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) protects and improves public health through its system of local health services and strategies focused on preventing disease. OSDH provides technical support and guidance to 68 county health departments in Oklahoma, as well as guidance and consultation to the two independent city-county health departments in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Learn more at Oklahoma.gov/health.
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