There is new hope for more families in Clarksville, TN thanks to a larger WIC clinic opening to service expectant and new mothers and their children. WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, provides Federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk I had the opportunity to go to Clarksville, Tenn., near Fort Campbell, Ky., to participate in a ceremony announcing the renovation of a portion of the Montgomery County Health Department which will now be a new “WIC Wing”. The current WIC facility located several miles away is at capacity and the 10,000 square feet of new space will allow the Montgomery County Health Department to expand and serve new families and will improve WIC Program access. Because of the co-location, WIC participants will also be able to take better advantage of other health services.
Montgomery County WIC Program participation has grown 38 percent since the early 1990s. WIC officials told me that in August 2010, the Montgomery County WIC Program served over 5,600 participants, of which 31 percent were from military families from nearby Fort Campbell. They anticipate continued growth and the new facility will have more clinic rooms, facilities for nutrition education counseling, and classes which will better serve the WIC clients.
For more information on the WIC Program click here.
