Reinvigorating and Reimaging The Pennsylvania WIC Program

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as the WIC Program, has been a cornerstone in efforts to support the health of mothers and babies – physically, socially and mentally – for more than 40 years. By providing nutritious supplemental foods, breastfeeding promotion and support, education on healthy eating, and referrals to health care and critical social services, WIC not only helps to assure healthy pregnancies and birth outcomes for women, it also helps to assure healthy growth and development for infants and children up to age five. 

Spanning a woman's pregnancy and continuing support to young children, WIC can be the front door for vulnerable families at critical times and in critical circumstances. It has the potential to reach families living near poverty, women with HIV or opioid or other substance use disorders, those with mental health issues or other complex health challenges, and teen mothers. Finally, many mothers who could benefit from WIC, particularly women of color, are also those who are most at risk for injury or death related to pregnancy; and whose children are more likely to be born prematurely and to die in infancy.

To learn more about The Pennsylvania WIC Program read here:​