NJMS program receives nearly $600,000 in federal funding

The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program at New Jersey Medical School recently received a $597,638 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to introduce the WIC Community Innovation and Outreach (WIC CIAO) Project, according to a press release.

Susan Stephenson-Martin, the director of the WIC Program, said that since receiving the USDA grant and additional agreement with the Food Research and Action Center's WIC CIAO, the program has been able to mobilize toward its goals.

She said the WIC Program increases accessibility to nutritional resources for members of at-risk communities, focusing on women who are pregnant or within six months postpartum, breastfeeding mothers, infants up to 1 year old and children between 1 and 5 years of age.

Applicants qualify to access WIC offerings based on income and nutrition specifications determined by WIC financial policies and on-site health exams, respectively, she said.

The WIC Program intends to utilize funding toward connecting with grassroots groups to augment engagement, according to Stephenson-Martin. She said such parties could serve as more direct links to eligible individuals, making WIC services more accessible to the community.

She said the program also seeks to inform both WIC-affiliated vendors and those who rely on them. Stephenson-Martin said the WIC Program has intentions to collaborate with its food resource partners to determine the best foods for community members. It also plans to support WIC users who may struggle with insufficient information on available services by consolidating these facilities into a singular all-encompassing resource, she said.

Stephenson-Martin said the program also looks to identify and target segments of larger communities, such as the Portuguese immigrant population in Newark. In doing so, the WIC Program combats limitations to accessibility, including transportation, language, education and immigration status, she said.

"Some of our undocumented families may feel that they cannot apply for WIC because they need to be a U.S. citizen, and that is not true," she said.

The state of New Jersey recently implemented the eWIC Card, a debit card-like system that permits electronic purchases at WIC vendors, but this technology may intimidate users, according to Stephenson-Martin.

She said she hopes the program meets its goals of serving all community members who qualify for it, with a focus on Essex County where it is based.

"We're trying to ensure that we are accessible, we're available and we're there to help with all of their needs," Stephenson-Martin said.

Editor's note: A previous headline stated that NJMS received "$10 million" in funding. It has since been updated to represent the correct amount.

The article has also been updated to accurately state the categories of people WIC supports.