WIC Studying the Women, Infant, and Children

WIC

Studying the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Program has underlined the importance of 'preventative' medicine, even in the administration of social services not strictly related to healthcare. In recent years, many programs that provide assistance to the indigent have come under fire, because of the federal debt load. However, funding WIC can ultimately reduce costs of social services in the long run. By ensuring that mothers have adequate prenatal care, and that children have nutritional support early on in life, the federal government can save on healthcare and educational costs in the long-term. Eating well as a child is linked to better outcomes in school, and better life outcomes overall. As the costs of living go up, including housing as well as food and fuel costs, programs like WIC are vitally necessary for families struggling to stay intact.

Studying WIC was important on a personal level, because it indicated how the most basic necessities can make a vital difference in client's lives. Food insecurity is an epidemic amongst the poor. A child who is hungry cannot learn, and a mother who is hungry cannot adequately parent her children or look for meaningful work. Even the burgeoning obesity epidemic has been linked to food insecurity, given the fact that when people are uncertain about gaining access to regular supplies of nutritious food, they often choose to 'stock up' on less nutritious, high-carbohydrate, high-sugar foods that are caloric but do not really provide the type of sustenance needed for a growing child or for a high-quality life. As well as food assistance, WIC also provides clients with information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care providers that can help clients address health-related concerns due to diet, such as type II diabetes. It also acts as an advocate for improved access to healthy foods. With the growing concern over food deserts, or areas in which individuals, usually in poor urban or poor rural areas cannot find affordable, accessible, and decent foods, the need for WIC is growing.

Researching WIC not only convinced me of the program's value: it also was a powerful demonstration of the need for even programs of long-demonstrated value to justify their existence in a business-driven format. WIC must justify its existence using instruments such as SWOT analysis, mission and vision statements, and environmental scanning. When resources are scarce for human service agencies, WIC must show that it makes a contribution to the lives of the persons that it serves in a unique and lasting fashion. Even a person in the social service sector must have his or her eye upon the 'competition' and the need to brand the agency in a memorable manner.