WIC program has answers for your nutrition needs

Retail food stores and pharmacies in Tennessee gave the WIC program high ratings in a statewide survey designed to measure satisfaction with WIC services. Survey results show a positive satisfaction rating of 82 percent.

Of over 30 areas evaluated, individual item satisfaction reached 93 percent. Results showed a slight variation by region, with West Tennessee posting the highest score.

WIC is a federally funded supplemental nutrition program for pregnant women, new mothers, nursing mothers, infants, and children under-5 who have a medical or nutritional need and meet income guidelines. The program provides a specific package of nutritious foods, nutrition counseling and health care referrals to eligible persons. These services are provided by the local health departments and other clinics.

The survey was conducted by Edge Healthcare Research, Inc., a national health care marketing research firm. Survey packets were mailed to 1,127 authorized WIC vendors.

Participants had strong positive responses, above 80 percent satisfaction, regarding personal knowledge of the program, vendor training materials, program information and materials given to participants, and the help and training received from their local program representative.

The Tennessee WIC program meets the nutritional needs of approximately 150,000 qualified participants each month through a network of WIC authorized vendors. Approximately 1,000 grocery stores throughout the state transact WIC vouchers for the staple food products and readily available infant formula that WIC provides.

For more information about WIC, call the Warren County Health Department at 473-8468 or call 1-800-342-5942.