Women, Infants & Children

MICA opened its first WIC clinic in 1977. Over thirty years later, we provide nutrition and food assistance to approximately 5,300 low-income women and children each month in eight central Iowa counties: Boone, Hardin, Jasper, Mahaska, Marshall, Poweshiek, Story, and Tama.

WIC is a short-term intervention program designed to strengthen families by influencing lifetime nutrition and health behaviors in populations at increased risk of poor health and malnutrition. WIC's combination of nutrition education, nutritious foods, breastfeeding support, and health care oversight provides families a gateway to good health. Some of the services our staff provide families include:

• financial assistance with the purchase of healthy foods
• nutrition classes
• health screenings
• coordination with community lead and immunization efforts
• breastfeeding support and information
• healthy recipes
• information and enrollment in health insurance programs

WIC Makes a Difference
Studies show that low-income children enrolled in WIC have a lower prevalence of anemia, a deficiency of iron that affects one in four low-income children, than those who are not enrolled. Children who participate in WIC after their first birthday also achieve better digit memory test scores than children who do not participate in WIC.

Pregnant women enrolled in WIC have fewer premature births, fewer low birth-weight babies, and fewer fetal and infant deaths. They also seek prenatal care earlier in their pregnancy and consume more of key nutrients such as iron, protein, calcium and vitamin C.

Promoting the Health Benefits of Breastfeeding
WIC promotes breastfeeding as the preferred method of infant feeding. Breast milk contains all the nutrients infants need for healthy growth and development. Breastfed infants are healthier because they receive antibodies from their mother's breast milk, protecting them against infections. Mothers also benefit from breastfeeding: breastfeeding reduces the risk for osteoporosis and several types of reproductive cancer in women.

Other breastfeeding facts:

• Formula feeding is associated with lower IQ
• Breast milk is easier to digest than formula
• Formula feeding may increase the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)
• Breastfeeding protects babies against vision defects
• Mothers who breastfeed have fewer doctor visits
• Breastfeeding facilitates proper dental and jaw development

Combatting Childhood Obesity
MICA dietitians participate in various initiatives to decrease childhood obesity. One such initiative is a collaborative effort among the WIC Bureau of the Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa State University, and Iowa State University Extension. This project works with mothers and children on increasing the amount of vegetables in children's diets.

Another initiative, the Tama County Kids Club, works with four-year-olds on building healthier lifestyles by eating fruits and vegetables and incorporating regular exercise into their lives. The project is funded by Tama County Empowerment.

Locating WIC Clinics
MICA offers WIC services in Boone, Hardin, Jasper, Mahaska, Marshall, Poweshiek, Story, and Tama County.To locate the WIC services in your area, call the toll free number for your county:

1-800-390-5293 (Benton, Jasper, Mahaska, Marshall, Poweshiek and Tama)
1-800-890-8230 (Boone, Hardin and Story)