Day Kimball Healthcare’s WIC Nutrition Program Now Available for Families Financially Affected by Pandemic

06/03/2020

Day Kimball Healthcare’s (DKH) Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program is supporting many newly eligible families due to the economic impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

WIC is offered by the CT Department of Public Health and administered locally throughout Northeast Connecticut by DKH’s Family Advocacy Programs, which work to support and strengthen families in the communities it serves.

WIC is one of the nation’s largest federal nutrition programs, serving approximately 6.3 million people, including about half of all infants born in the United States. WIC helps low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5 achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle by providing healthy foods and nutrition education; promoting breastfeeding and supporting nursing mothers; and providing healthcare and social-service referrals.

With the passage of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act on March 18 to assist with the COVID-19 public health crisis, WIC received an increase in funding and increased ability to provide states with the flexibilities they need to support families that rely on the program.

“WIC’s role in helping to improve food security and dietary quality, and to support overall health, is more important than ever because of the circumstances surrounding this public health crisis,” said Kera Morissette, WIC Program Manager, Day Kimball Healthcare. “This is true for families already on WIC and for the many people who are newly eligible due to recent job losses related to COVID-19. We encourage these families to reach out to WIC to see if they might qualify for assistance during this time.”

Individuals who have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or who are struggling to provide healthy food for their family during the crisis, should contact DKH’s WIC program to determine if they qualify to receive assistance.

To support social distancing, DKH’s WIC program is enrolling new participants over the phone. For more information or to determine eligibility call (860) 928-3660 or email Kera Morissette at kmorissette@daykimball.org.

To learn more about Day Kimball Healthcare’s WIC Program visit www.daykimball.org/wic.