Pennsylvania Department of Health Acting Secretary Alison Beam announced the newly awarded applicants for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly referred to as WIC. These applicants were awarded through a Request for Applications process (RFA) that started last year.
The Department will begin to enter into grant agreements, those agreements starting October 1, 2022, with these awarded applicants, with transition periods occurring 3 to 12 months prior to the grant agreement start date, to assure smooth and interrupted services for WIC participants.
“As the Pennsylvania WIC program transitions to some new providers, it will not disrupt nutrition services to eligible WIC participants,” Acting Secretary Beam said. “It’s important that WIC participants do not cancel their WIC appointments—services will continue. If your clinic moves, you will be contacted by WIC staff in order to help with your transition and to ensure you continue to receive services.”
The program will continue to offer services to eligible participants free of charge. Services that will not change include nutrition education, healthy food, breastfeeding support, screenings, and referrals to other health and social services.
Possible enhanced services include improved access to the program; more convenient local provider office locations; extended clinic hours to include evenings and weekends; options for onsite office visits and telehealth for some participants; online nutrition education; enhanced document submission by using smartphone; as well as other opportunities.
A total of 46 of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania were awarded during the first round of applications.
Counties that have been awarded include: Allegheny; Armstrong; Beaver; Bradford; Butler; Carbon; Chester; Columbia; Cumberland; Dauphin; Delaware; Elk; Erie; Fayette; Franklin; Greene; Indiana; Juniata; Lackawanna; Lancaster; Lawrence; Lebanon; Lehigh; Luzerne; McKean; Mifflin; Monroe; Montgomery; Montour; Northampton; Northumberland; Perry; Philadelphia; Pike; Schuylkill; Snyder; Somerset; Sullivan; Susquehanna; Tioga; Union; Washington; Wayne; Westmoreland; Wyoming; and York.
Counties that have not been awarded include: Adams; Bedford; Berks; Blair; Bucks; Cambria; Cameron; Centre; Clarion; Clearfield; Clinton; Crawford; Forest; Fulton; Huntingdon; Jefferson; Lycoming; Mercer; Potter; Venango; and Warren.
Of those 46 counties awarded through the first round of the RFA, 41 have remained with their current service provider. The remaining five counties will undergo the following changes:
| County | Provider Through 9/30/2022 | Provider Effective 10/1/2022 |
| NOTE: Provider transition to occur between 10/1/2021 and 9/30/2022 | ||
| Allegheny | Allegheny County Health Department | Blueprints |
| Cumberland | Family Health Council of Central PA | Hamilton Health Center |
| Erie | United Neighborhood Facilities Health Care Center | Adagio Health |
| Philadelphia | North Central Organized Regionally for Total Health, Inc | Temple University |
| Westmoreland | Mon Valley Community Health Services, Inc. | Adagio Health |
Applicants receiving awards in round one of the RFA processes, are eligible to apply for those remaining 21 unawarded counties in round two, so long as the applicant was not deemed unresponsive for that particular unawarded county. Beginning today, these applicants will have until 2:30 pm on April 29, 2021 to submit their applications.
For more than 47 years, WIC has offered participant-centered nutrition education, healthy food and breastfeeding support to eligible pregnant and postpartum women, and infants and children under age 5 in Pennsylvania. In addition, the program also serves as a gateway for preventive health, and is considered one of the most successful, cost-effective, and important nutrition intervention programs in the country.
WIC serves the following Pennsylvania residents:
- Pregnant women;
- Breastfeeding women, for up to one year postpartum;
- Women up to six months postpartum, who are not breastfeeding; and
- Infants and children under 5 years old, including foster children.
These residents must also meet WIC income guidelines, which is 185 percent of the poverty level set by the federal government and is based on household size. They must also have a medical or nutritional risk, which is determined at the WIC certification appointment. There are many qualifying risks. Some examples include anemia, underweight, overweight, premature baby, and pregnancy complications.
The WIC program offers an interactive virtual kitchen classroom for those who are looking to learn more about foods that will be sustainable, nutritious and available options for WIC recipients that they can find in the grocery store.
Frequently asked questions about the RFA can be found here.
Other questions about the enhanced services to the WIC program may be sent to [email protected].
For more information about PA WIC, including information on appointment openings and how to apply, visit www.pawic.com or call 1-800-WIC-WINS. The Pennsylvania WIC program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA is an equal opportunity provider.
For more information on how Pennsylvania is working to ensure healthy moms and healthy kids, visit the Department of Health website at www.health.pa.gov or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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