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Joplin Health Department announces WIC funding
The Joplin City WIC Office has announced that the funding has been approved to continue to provide WIC services for the federal fiscal year 2012 (October 1, 2011, thru September 30, 2012) with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Under the terms of the contract, Joplin City WIC will be able to serve 3,677 eligible participants.

Each month, more than 145,000 women, infants, and children in Missouri participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children – commonly known as WIC. The program provides food and nutrition information at no cost to qualifying low to moderate-income women and their children.

Joplin City WIC is located at 321 E 4th Street and has a satellite clinic in Carthage staffed with staff from Joplin. The Joplin City WIC office is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the distinction of being a Breastfeeding Friendly WIC Clinic one of nineteen local agencies in Missouri. It would also like to announce that we have three staff members who set for and passed the certification for International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) exam. This brings the office total to 4 IBCLCs on staff. The IBCLCs and peer counselors will assist the program in reaching The Healthy People 2020 goal of 60.6% of infants breastfeeding at 6 months.

In Missouri, 43.2 percent of mothers who gave birth in 2009 received WIC services. In Joplin, the amount is higher at 50.1 percent of mothers. More than half of all infants born in Missouri receive WIC services during their first year of life.

WIC is a federally funded program, WIC services in Missouri are provided by 110 local agencies, including county and city health departments. Services include nutrition and breastfeeding education, breastfeeding promotion and support, nutritious foods, and improved healthcare for low and moderate-income women and children with, or at risk of developing nutrition-related health problems.

To qualify for the WIC program, participants must:

  • Provide proof of identity and proof of residence in Missouri.
  • Meet certain income requirements.
  • Visit a local WIC clinic (Joplin City WIC) to set up an appointment to have their nutritional/ health status assessed by a health professional.

For more information, contact Joplin City WIC by calling 417-623-1928 or visit our website at http://joplinhealthdeprtment.org. The public can also visit the Missouri health department’s WIC website at http://www.dhss.mo.gov/wic for locations. Joplin WIC office is located at 321 E. 4th Street, on the upper level of the building in Joplin.

WIC is an equal opportunity program and services are provided on a nondiscriminatory basis.