Over 3,600 Women & Infants Risk Losing WIC Services In Chelan & Douglas Counties

A program that provides low-income mothers with food and other assistance in Washington is in jeopardy of shutting down.

The Washington Department of Health says its Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program has less than two weeks worth of funding remaining and will be forced to cease operations if the current federal shutdown isn't soon resolved.

The program's funding is drying up due to the shutdown, which began on Wednesday, and has left numerous agencies and associated programs in financial limbo.

The state's WIC program helps mothers feed their newborns, gain access to infant formula, and also provides support for breastfeeding.

According to The Washington State Standard, almost one-third of all newborn babies and their mothers in the Evergreen State receive assistance from WIC, which serves over 212,000 women and children in Washington and nearly 7 million nationwide.

Get our free mobile app

In Chelan and Douglas Counties, more than 3,600 women and children are currently receiving help from WIC and would impacted by a halt in the program.

"If the shutdown is prolonged, states may be forced to cut or suspend benefits and participants will not be issued new food benefits until the shutdown ends," says Maria Christina Monroe, Communications & Language Access Director for the Chelan-Douglas Health District (CDHD). "WIC serves low-income pregnant/post-partum people, infants and children under age five, so a lapse in benefits can mean immediate food insecurity for families and reduced access to baby formula and healthy foods. Many WIC participants already face economic hardship, and a loss of WIC benefits would add to this stress."

Monroe's details were provided in an email to NewsRadio 560 KPQ on Thursday, when she also remarked about how the current federal shutdown impacts Washington State's ability to direct money to WIC recipients locally.

"Every year Congress decides how much money to allocate to the WIC program through the federal budget. The U.S. Department of Agriculture manages WIC at the national level and sends WIC funding to state health departments.  In Washington (State), funds are allocated to the Washington Department of Health. The amount given to states is based on how many people they are serving. The Washington Department of Health then contracts with local health departments or other clinics and non-profit agencies to run WIC clinics.  These contracts pay WIC clinic staff members to provide nutrition education, dietary consultations for high-risk participants, and management of food benefit distributions."

Monroe also addressed what alternatives, if any, might be available for those who are reliant on the WIC program for assistance in the event of a full stoppage of benefits.

"Families can still utilize their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits but we (CDHD) are not aware of any other temporary or emergency funding to assist families; however, the health district is actively collaborating with its partners to help mitigate the potential impacts this shutdown would have on local families and we will share more information when it becomes available."

In addition to WIC, Monroe says there are also other federally-funded programs which would be at risk of stopping services if the current federal shutdown isn't soon rectified.

"We (CDHD) also receive federal funding from the Maternal Child Health Block Grant, which allows us to focus on improving systems related to the health of women, infants, and children, and get funding that supports some of the immunization quality improvement work we do with medical providers that administer childhood vaccines."

Under the Department of Agriculture’s contingency plan, WIC can reallocate grant award funding from the 2024 budget which has gone unused to continue the program. However, the advocacy group, National WIC Association, said this week the program only has enough funding on hand to remain operational for about another one to two weeks.