Federal funding for nutrition program nearly gone
Cole County’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program will only be funded through the end of February, unless the partial shutdown of the federal government ends before that time.
Health Department director Kristi Campbell said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has not adivsed local health leaders about what will happen when that date passes, leaving the federally funded program in limbo.
“Apparently, [HHS] staff are meeting with the USDA weekly to talk about the shutdown and how it might affect the WIC program,” said Campbell.
The Cole County Health Dept. sees approximately 1,500 participants of the WIC program every month.
Some mothers who benefit from the program told ABC 17 News that the loss of its resources, even temporarily, would cause their family to struggle. However, most of the participants said they are working hard to prepare for the possibility of a lapse in the WIC services.
Campbell said she hasn’t ruled out asking the county or state to reallocate funds to temporarily continue the WIC program, should the shutdown continue into March.
Campbell also said said she expects to get more information from the federal government about the shutdown by the end of January.
Officials with the WIC program in Boone County told ABC 17 News they have recieved the same notice about the funding’s uncertain future.
