Wednesday, Jan. 07, 2009

Kids get healthy start with Stanislaus County WIC program

Food program serves most area infants, need greater still

Cookie Monster eats corn on the cob at the Stanislaus County Women, Infants and Children Program. That might seem out of character for the ravenous Muppet, but he's staying on message: cookies are a "sometimes food," but fruits and vegetables are everyday foods.

Sesame Street characters help make children more comfortable with the WIC program when they come in with parents to be weighed, measured and evaluated. Their parents get vouchers for nutritious foods in grocery stores, and help with everything from shopping and cooking advice to referrals to health services and food stamps.

The idea of the federally funded program is to get pregnant women, infants and children to the age of 5 eating properly, exercising and getting medical care. The goal is to reduce health problems, including infant deaths and child obesity.

Stanislaus County is getting an additional $306,000 in federal money for the administration of the program, which is "sort of" good news, Health Services Agency director Mary Ann Lee told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning.

The county is getting the extra money because of the growing need in the community, Lee said.

Caseloads, which had been running 18,550 a month, jumped to 20,525 in the past year with the sinking economy.

The extra money will be used to fill two vacant staff positions and cover operating expenses, according to Elaine Emery, WIC program manager.

The money boosts the administration budget for staff salaries, supplies and overhead to $3.3 million.

The WIC program serves about 64 percent of the infants born in Stanislaus County, and the need is even larger, Emery said. The program is serving only about 70 percent of those eligible, she said.

Stanislaus County WIC clients get food vouchers totaling $1.2 million a month, which they can spend in more than 100 grocery stores. The vouchers are different than food stamps, however: They can be used only for specific, nutritious foods.

Cereals, for instance, can't be sweetened, juices can't be sugar-laden, and milk must be low fat.

The package of food vouchers will change in October to reflect even healthier choices: more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grain pastas and breads, and appropriate cultural foods such as tor-tillas and soy products.

The program is cost- effective, according to Phoebe Leung, assistant director of the county Health Services Agency. Every dollar spent on WIC saves $3 in Medi-Cal costs, according to Leung.

To qualify for the program, families must have an income of 185 percent or less of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that's $39,220.

Armando and Martha Ramirez are fans of WIC. They were requalifying for the program Tuesday with their youngest son, Christian, 4. Christian eats a lot of apples, Armando Ramirez said through a translator, and the family now avoids fatty foods and sodas.

Ramirez drives a delivery truck for a machine shop but recently was laid off for three weeks, and his salary was reduced by $3 an hour because of the economy.

The program is helpful, Martha Ramirez said, especially with newborns. Their other two children, a 14-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter, were helped by WIC, the Ramirezes said.

Sometimes the couple has a little trouble at the grocery store, when clerks are impatient when they choose the wrong foods for the vouchers, they said.

Emery said the WIC program holds orientation classes to teach WIC clients how to choose the right products. Other classes can range from dental care to how to shop on a budget.

Vendor liaisons go out to train store employees on how to deal with the vouchers, Emery said.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an amended three-year, $11.3 million contract with the state Department of Public Health to administer the program. The vote was 4-0, with Supervisor Bill O'Brien abstaining because his grocery stores accept WIC vouchers.

Bee staff writer Tim Moran can be reached at tmoran@modbee.com or 578-2349.