May 29, 2023

WIC Visits Fort Belknap- Outreach Project

WIC Outreach Coordinator, Alex Bostrom and WIC State Director Lacy Little visited Fort Belknap Reservation in collaboration with Erica Johnson and Windfall. The purpose of this project is to diversify the State outreach photo library and include more tribal representation in it's marketing and outreach efforts. The state is extremely thankful for the Fort Belknap Tribal Council's approval for this project as well as Red Paint Trading Post, Fort Belknap WIC office, and WIC participants for a successful photoshoot. The state office will be sharing these photos with local agencies for their outreach projects as well. 

Local Agency Conference Call

Reminder: Local Agency Conference Call next Thursday, June 1st, 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM. Please use the following links to join the call. 

Local Agency Conference Call Agenda 

Join Zoom Meeting https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/81635403031?pwd=UTEzaEh5Q1JBZjdhRm40Ky8rUitWdz09

Meeting ID: 816 3540 3031 Password: 684051

Dial by Telephone +1 646 558 8656 Meeting ID: 816 3540 3031 Password: 684051 Find your local number: https://mt-gov.zoom.us/u/kbuMKbeGZr

Asthma Awareness Month

Please see the message from Rachel Anderson, a Registered Dietitian with RiverStone Health. Click the link below for the full podcast from DPHHS Health In The 406 and the press release article. 

On 11/22/2020, I lost my daughter, Mia, to a severe asthma attack. She was 4 days away from her 24th birthday.  Since then, I’ve been looking for ways to advocate for asthma awareness in hopes of preventing a tragedy for another family. This year, in recognition of National Asthma and Allergy Awareness month in May, I met with the creators of the DPHHS Talking Health in the 406 podcast to share my daughter’s asthma story. When people think of asthma, they don’t often think of it as a big deal, or that it can be life-threatening. My goal is to advocate and get the message out there about how serious it is. Even if I can help one person by sharing Mia’s story, it’ll be worth it. The podcast, called ‘Every Breath is a Gift’ can be heard at https://dphhs.mt.gov/healthinthe406/talking (episodes 13 and 14) or by searching for Talking Health in the 406 on any podcast service. DPHHS Press Release Article.

State Supplies & Inventory

ATTENTION: The State Office is experiencing high volumes of orders and is on hold for resupplying it's own supplies and inventory. We are currently waiting to get our supply stock back up. In the meantime, please only submit ONE order over the next few weeks unless it is an emergency. As we are resupplying, we recommend local agencies also take inventory of what they have in stock and what they may need in the future. 

Retailer Monitoring Notifications Sent Out

The notifications for retailer monitoring have been mailed out to each agency. There are about 70 stores across 23 agencies scheduled for monitoring this year.  Agencies have four months to complete store monitoring, and there are a few key changes this year. Stocking requirements are back in effect – including formula – so please be sure to schedule visits with enough time to follow up on stocking issues if encountered. We have also included a little store specific data for each store, including income earned, families served, and top selling foods. This is designed to give you an opportunity to share with them the impact WIC has on their business, and why their partnership is important to us. Please review your list of stores to monitor when it arrives, and if you would like to schedule a time to review the monitoring process or have any other questions, please contact Kevin or Lori.

State Office Closed Memorial Day

State Office will be closed for Memorial Day on May 29th, 2023