Matagorda Regional Medical Center WIC has been awarded a $184,513 grant to implement a WIC Community Innovation and Outreach Project (WIC CIAO).
WIC CIAO is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service and aims to support efforts to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative outreach strategies to increase awareness, participation, and benefit redemption in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and reduce disparities in program delivery.
“Too many women and children in Texas are missing out on the nutrition they need in order to thrive,” said Renee Savage, Matagorda Regional Medical Center WIC.
“We are proud to be part of this critical initiative to identify new ways of connecting people to WIC.”
Matagorda Regional Medical Center WIC was selected through a highly competitive grant process.
MRMC WIC goals are to connect eligible participants to WIC by improving access through automated referral, transportation support, and outreach education in collaboration with Matagorda Medical Group’s Rural Health Clinic and other partners within the county.
In Texas, WIC provides healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding counseling and referrals for about 747,000 participants, including pregnant and postpartum individuals, infants up to 12 months, and children up to age 5. In 2020, only 50 percent of all eligible individuals nationwide participated in WIC, equating to a shortfall of almost 6 million individuals.
The WIC CIAO Project aims to change that by expanding partnerships with community organizations and using community-level data to develop and implement innovative WIC outreach efforts.
Reaching more families with WIC will have positive impacts on the community.
WIC has been shown to provide wide-ranging benefits, including longer, safer pregnancies, with fewer premature births and infant deaths; improved dietary outcomes for infants and children; improved maternal health; and improved performance at school, among others.
In addition to health benefits, WIC participants showed significant savings in health care costs when compared to non-participants.
In total, there are 36 WIC CIAO awardees made up of WIC state and local agencies, including tribal nations, and nonprofit entities and organizations.
WIC CIAO is administered through a USDA cooperative agreement with the Food Research & Action Center, in partnership with the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, the Native American Agriculture Fund, and UnidosUS. WIC CIAO is part of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service broader initiative to modernize WIC. Visit hellowic.org to find out more about the WIC CIAO Project and awardees, and sign up for updates on WIC CIAO events and announcements. ###
The Matagorda County Hospital District (MCHD) was established in 1965 by an act of the Texas Legislature to serve the health care needs of Matagorda County residents. Through ownership, partnerships, or affiliations, MCHD operates Matagorda Regional Medical Center and supports community health, medical wellness, medical group, and other outreach centers throughout Matagorda County.
A seven-member Board of Managers is appointed by the Commissioners’ Court for governance and to guide major health-related initiatives.
More information can be found at matagordaregional.org and facebook.com/matagordaregional.
