The Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) in Shawano County and elsewhere in the state is still up and running in spite of a government shutdown at the national level.
“It’s business as usual,” said Susan Hansen, clinic outreach specialist for the program in Shawano County.
The government shutdown that began Tuesday could imperil services in many states, but Wisconsin’s program is benefiting from reserve funds and a state contract that sends a rebate back to the Wisconsin WIC for every can of formula sold.
“We’re very happy we can continue providing services,” Hansen said.
The Shawano County office has had numerous calls from concerned clients, and rumors that service would be cut off have been circulating on Facebook and Twitter, Hansen said.
“They see what’s happening in other states,” she said.
But state WIC officials assured local offices during a conference call Wednesday that services in Wisconsin would continue for now, according to Hansen.
Though there is no way of knowing how long the government shutdown will last, state WIC officials are confident the Wisconsin program will be able to ride it out.
“They’re monitoring the impact and they’re going to keep us updated,” Hansen said.
In the meantime, WIC is reminding participants to keep appointments and continue receiving food checks, nutrition education and breastfeeding support.
Grocery stores and pharmacies will continue to accept WIC checks and will be reimbursed from the State WIC program.
Also, Farmers Market checks should continue to be spent as in summers past, with an ending date of Oct. 31. Farmers have until Nov. 15 to deposit their checks at the bank as instructed in past years.
Over 8.9 million mothers and children under five living near or below the poverty line rely on the program’s supplemental vouchers for healthy food, breastfeeding support, infant formula and other necessities dispensed at clinics nationwide.
An estimated 53 percent of the nation’s children are part of the WIC program, Hansen said.
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