April 5, 2024

Adjunctive Eligibility Chart

This new adjunctive eligibility chart will be added to the FY 2025 State Plan. Please use this for your references. 

WIC 50th April Outreach Toolkit

The NWA 50^th Social Media toolkit has been published. Use the link below to integrate some of the social media into your outreach campaign. They have also posted another video which talks about how WIC promotes diversity and equity.

April 50^th Toolkit

WIC Diversity & Equity Video

WIC 50th Recipe Book

The National WIC Association created a recipe book to celebrate WIC’s 50^th anniversary. These recipes use foods from the WIC program. If your agency would like to have some of these in your agency, please email MontanaWICProgram@mt.gov . The State Office will mail out book quantities based on demand.

WIC 50th Fun Fact

WIC pre-natal participation was associated with lower risk of three outcomes: preterm delivery, low birth weight, and infant mortality. Child WIC participation was associated with better diet quality and greater intakes of 100 percent fruit juice, whole grain cereals, and age-appropriate milk. Additional research has found that WIC participation is associated with a 33% reduction in the risk of infant death within one year of delivery. 

Weekly Risk Code Highlight

Risk Code 341 – Nutrient Deficiency or Disease

Defined as:  Any currently treated or untreated nutrient deficiency or disease. These include, but are not limited to, Protein Energy Malnutrition, Scurvy, Rickets, Beriberi, Hypocalcemia, Osteomalacia, Vitamin K Deficiency, Pellagra, Xerophthalmia, and Iron Deficiency.

Presence of condition diagnosed, documented, or reported by a physician or someone working under a physician’s orders, or as self-reported by participant/caregiver.

**Since Hemoglobin is a screening tool used in WIC, it does not diagnose someone with low iron. To use this risk code, it must be a diagnosis from a healthcare provider. Only risk code 201 should be used for low hemoglobin.

What WIC Can Do:

• Encourage improved intake of whole grains, legumes, dairy, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables.
• Emphasize appropriate portion size and variety to avoid nutrient to nutrient interaction. For example, excessive calcium intake inhibits the absorption of iron.
• Provide education on foods that contain specific nutrients of concern.
• Provide education on preparing foods that are part of the WIC food package.
• Refer individuals who report food insecurity to appropriate resources in the community like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and food pantries.
• Reinforce the medical and dietary treatment plans provided by the medical provider and refer participants to medical providers for medical follow-up care.

Refer individuals who smoke to the Montana Quit Line.