Author: Garen Keshishian

PHFE WIC’s winter 2021 customer service survey asked the simple question, “How was your WIC appointment?” In response, thousands of WIC participants replied with heartwarming feedback, testimonials, and words of appreciation. 98% of survey respondents gave the top “great!” rating for their appointment.

Here’s what our participants said about their last appointment:

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To all our participants:

Your feedback and experiences matter to us as we continue to strive to improve our services. It is our pleasure to walk alongside you through your pregnancies, watch your children grow, and cheer you on through this precious time of life.

Thank you for growing healthy with WIC! We can’t wait to talk to you again at your next WIC appointment.

Warm regards from all of us at PHFE WIC!

PS: We love to hear from you! If you’d like to share feedback about your WIC experience, leave a Yelp or Google review for your local WIC office, or contact us directly!

Yes! Men are welcome at WIC. WIC recognizes the important role that fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, and other guardians play in caring for kids. Fathers and other caregivers of kids under five are encouraged to enroll and bring kids to appointments, attend nutrition and health education sessions, and use their checks in grocery stores that accept WIC.

On November 23^rd, 2021, a bipartisan bill called More Options to Develop and Enhance Remote Nutrition in WIC Act, or MODERN WIC Act, was introduced. This bill would make permanent revisions to WIC certification requirements, sustaining the flexibilities that helped families gain access to the program during the pandemic.

For social distancing purposes during the pandemic, WIC agencies were allowed to complete certifications over the phone, and the requirement for WIC providers to measure a participant’s weight and height was waived. These flexibilities helped many WIC program participants and new applicants overcome the barriers to WIC services that in-person requirements can create.

Barriers to completing in-person certifications include

Child participation has increased 20% at PHFE WIC, and 8% nationwide since March 2020, showing how important virtual WIC services were during the pandemic.¹ The MODERN WIC Act will continue virtual services, expanding access to families who qualify.

The Modern WIC Act proposes the following:

WIC program applications to be completed over video conferencing or telephone with health assessment data submitted to WIC within 90 days

Food benefits to be remotely added to participant WIC EBT cards

More investment in WIC technology to help with online appointments and education

The MODERN WIC Act will allow WIC providers to continue as they always have: to help families access healthy foods.

Read NWA’s full press statement here, and click here to view a fact sheet on physical presence at WIC.

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References

1. Senators Introduce MODERN WIC Act, Bipartisan Fix for Physical Presence. National WIC Association. https://www.nwica.org/press-releases/sens-gillibrand-marshall-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-strengthen-remote-wic-services#.YbJPA1XMJpg. November 23, 2021.
2. Striking The Balance: Unlocking Remote WIC Services after COVID-19. National WIC Association. https://s3.amazonaws.com/aws.upl/nwica.org/physical-presence.pdf?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=003395f0-195e-4759-bb52-cc294f90a17f. October 2021. Accessed December 6, 2021.   

Canned beans are now available to WIC families with their benefits!

Keep canned beans on the shelf for a quick weeknight meal. Add canned beans to soups, salads, burritos, tortilla wraps, stews, rice bowls, and more. Find tasty recipes using canned beans and other WIC foods at Health eKitchen at www.wichealth.org.

Check your WIC app for the most recent information about approved foods. For more information, visit MyFamily.WIC.ca.gov.

WIC is hosting diaper giveaway and pump return events throughout November to help families safely return electric breast pumps or baby scales that are no longer in use!

Please hold on to your electric breast pump or baby scale if you are still using them.

All families with infants and children that wear diapers are invited to the diaper giveaway! Supplies are limited and will be distributed on a first come first serve basis.

See the November schedule of diaper and pump events listed below. Questions? Text us at 91997.

WIC Center	Address	Date & Time
8th Street WIC	2120 W. 8th St. Los Angeles, CA 90033	Nov 10th 10 am to 2 pm
Obama WIC	3667 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016	Nov 16th 11:30 am to 2 pm
Santa Ana East WIC	1701 S Grand Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92705	Nov 17 10 am to 2 pm

Good news! The Home Visiting Family Support Program is now enrolling families. This program pairs you with a trained professional who provides pregnancy and parenting guidance, access to social services, job resources, and more!

Who is Eligible?

Pregnant and parenting women, low income families with children under the age of 5, and individuals receiving cash aid (CalWorks).

What is the program’s goal?

The Home Visiting Program’s goal is to provide support and expertise to help parents expand their parenting skills and access key resources for medical, mental health, and child development concerns. In addition, families will also receive resources such as housing, food, counseling services, and other services.      

How to enroll:

To enroll, please call (213) 639-6436 or (800) 427-8700 (Press 4, Option 2)

WIC recognizes the important role that fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, and other guardians play in caring for kids. Dads are a source of so much selfless love, unconditional support, and timeless wisdom for the WIC family.

Despite the WIC name, fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, father figures, and other guardians have always been a part of the WIC family. WIC celebrates and appreciates the nurturers and caregivers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, and guardians of our children.

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Calling all WIC Families! PHFE WIC invites you Dad’s chat as we celebrate Father’s day on June 18 at 5:30 pm. Our chat will feature guest speakers and gift raffles for attendees! Text “Dads18” to RSVP.

Calling all WIC Men and Dads! PHFE WIC is proud to have hosted its first virtual Dad’s chat event on April 22, 2021. Fathers from California to Texas joined and discussed the challenges they have experienced as father during the COVID pandemic. Challenges discussed ranged from social struggles to comfort food struggle. Fathers shared their approach for the day-to-day challenges that arouse from the pandemic. The event provided the positive reinforcement that fathers are not alone and through power of communication, can overcome the daily obstacles.

With the first virtual Dad’s chat event successfully in the books, we welcome you to text “Dadchats” to receive notifications and reminders of future Dads Chat events. This is event is open to all fathers and soon-to-be fathers. A special thanks to Ruben Lopez, RDN for hosting an amazing Dad’s chat for our fathers!