- Hi, I'm Jamie Bussell, Senior Program Officer
at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
And today, I'm thrilled to be joined
by Brian Dittmeier with the National WIC Association.
Hey, Brian.
- Hi, Jamie.
- Great to see you.
So, Brian, I know that the National WIC Association recently
released a new report, "State of WIC"
and I'm super excited to chat with you about that.
Before we dive into the report, Brian,
can you spend a little bit of time
talking with us about the WIC program
and how it benefits babies, kids, moms,
families in our country?
- Yeah, so WIC is a national program that serves pregnant
and postpartum women,
infants and children up to age five,
and the heart and soul of WIC is providing access
to healthy foods,
but also the public health services that help ensure access
to quality nutrition during these periods.
And so it's nutrition education, it's breastfeeding support,
health screenings for anemia,
and for other diet related conditions,
and then access and referrals to healthcare
and social services as well.
And so we really are a hub
where new and expectant parents can get,
not just a monthly benefit for healthy foods,
but also a host of community and nutrition supports
that help set the stage for future life success.
- So many incredibly widespread benefits
for those that are participating in the WIC program.
Thanks, Brian.
So over the last 11 months,
we know that the COVID pandemic has really wreaked havoc
on kids and families throughout the nation.
Can you talk a little bit
about how the WIC program has changed
or offered additional flexibilities
as a consequence of the pandemic,
and how that's playing out in the lives of participants?
- Right, so we know WIC is an effective intervention, right?
It addresses infant mortality,
breastfeeding rates, quality nutrition,
so working on childhood obesity and diabetes prevention,
access to healthy foods,
and assuring positive pregnancy and birth outcomes.
But when it comes to COVID 19,
all of the WIC services have historically been provided
in a community-based clinic.
And just like with medical providers,
we've seen a giant lurch forward
towards tele-health services
as we seek to protect folks
from having to come into clinics.
And as a result, this shift towards remote services
has seen a quite a significant increase
in participation in many states,
as it's now more accessible
and convenient for families to access WIC services.
Of course, that comes with some challenges, right?
So we're not seeing folks in clinics,
so we're not able to do all of the health screenings
and the blood tests that we would usually do to assure,
to catch some health disparities moving forward.
We also know that the shopping experience has come
with some new challenges as WIC consumers are really one
of the few populations that still is required
to conduct in-person shopping.
So compared to SNAP
and compared to the general shopping public,
these new and modern options like online purchasing
and home delivery are not available
to WIC consumers in many states.
Now, there's a lot of exciting innovations happening
on the ground to move us in that direction,
it's certainly where the program is going,
but in the short term,
it's been a significant challenge for our WIC families.
- So, so many flexibilities it sounds like, Brian,
have been deployed and I think in large part thanks to you
and many of your colleagues
who've been part of that and of course,
opportunities there but also risks that you lift up.
Can you talk specifically about some
of the policy recommendations that you all have put forward
in the new report?
- Right, so the "State of WIC" report
outlines a comprehensive plan
for where WIC can move into the next decade
and certainly to reach the next generation
of new and expectant parents.
And as we look at those steps,
a huge piece is learning lessons from COVID-19
is enacting permanent solutions
for these temporary flexibilities that have
allowed us to harness tele-health
and to make progress in modern shopping models.
Another big step is to take a look at who we serve
and recognize where there are nutrition gaps.
So kids age off WIC at their fifth birthday,
but they may not yet be in school
and therefore eligible for school meals.
And so that gap from five years old
to the beginning of kindergarten
is one where we can expand eligibility
in a very modest way,
while making sure that we're reaching those kids
and setting them up for success
in an educational environment.
Postpartum eligibility is another example.
By extending our postpartum eligibility,
we can continue to have support both
in access to nutritious foods,
but also the nutrition counseling
and chronic disease management
that allows us to support the outcomes
for mom and help set her up
for a healthier subsequent pregnancy as well.
And then as we look at the value of the food package,
that's another area where we
could see some significant benefit.
If we increase that value, we're bringing more healthy foods
into the household and we're making sure
that kids get closer to what's actually recommended
as far as fruits and vegetables and other food groups,
about what they need to be consuming
to have a healthy start.
- Some incredibly important policy recommendations
and strategies that I think can strengthen
an already significantly important program for kids
and families in this country.
So, Brian Dittmeier, thank you so much for joining us
and I very much look forward to the next time we'll chat.
Thank you.
- Thank you.