DEPARTMENT: Public Health
FILE TYPE: Regular Information
TITLE
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Women, Infant, And Children Program Update
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Receive an update on the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Program.
SUMMARY
Pursuant to Minn. Stat. ? 375A.04, the Dakota County Board of Commissioners is, and performs the duties and exercises the powers of, a community health board under Minn. Stat. Ch. 145A, and is required to govern and administer those functions as fully as other Dakota County functions, including the responsibility to prevent disease and to promote and protect the public health of Dakota County residents.
Since 1978, Dakota County has managed the federally funded Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC). The WIC program aims to protect the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk. WIC goals are achieved by providing nutrition education, supporting breastfeeding, connecting participants to health and social services programs and providing nutritious foods to supplement diets. To be eligible for WIC, participants must meet categorical requirements, live in Minnesota, and meet income guidelines. Approximately 90 percent of WIC participants qualify for WIC because of receiving Medical Assistance (MA) benefits. Participants are also eligible if they meet the WIC income guidelines, which is 185 percent of the federal poverty levels per household.
The Dakota County WIC program is primarily funded by a federal grant that is passed through from the Minnesota Department of Health. Dakota County was awarded $1,385,000 for the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025, which is based on a formula of $20.00 per participant in 2024. Dakota County's WIC caseload for FFY 2024 was 69,151 participants, which is the cumulative total of all WIC participants who received food benefits each month.
Dakota County WIC serves a complex caseload with 17 percent of participants being considered "high...
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