HOUSTON – The Houston Health Department’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) sites will close May 7-13 to migrate to an automated system.
The closure will also allow the WIC program to devote the week to the training of all of its employees on the new system.
Replacing a multitude of paper forms, the new system significantly reduces paperwork for WIC clients and offers them automatic appointment reminders and enhanced growth charts and grocery shopping lists.
The department encourages clients to use WIC benefits they received for this month. People seeking to enroll in WIC can call 1-800-942-3678 for services within Greater Houston.
WIC provides free nutritious foods and nutrition education to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, women who have given birth in the last six months and children up to age 5 who have nutrition health-related problems. Single fathers, grandparents and foster parents are also eligible for WIC services for their children.
Healthy foods provided to WIC clients include cereals, eggs, milk, juice, fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, cheese, formula for infants not breastfeeding. Clients also receive personalized nutrition counseling, breastfeeding education and support and referrals to other health and social services.
WIC’s goal is to reduce premature births, low birth weight, the fetal death rate and long-term medical expenses.
For more information, call 832-393-5427.