WIC

With the sponsorship of the Human Development Corporation of Metropolitan St. Louis, La Clinica has developed a supplemental food program designed to aid pregnant women, post-partum breastfeeding mothers, and children up to age five who are considered to be at a health risk. Vouchers are issued to provide free food in order to eliminate nutritional deficiencies.

  • For appointments or guidelines, call 314-865-3621, Monday through and Friday from 9 am to 12 noon or 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  • The mission of the Human Development Corporation (HDC) is to provide a range of services that assist low-income individuals and families to gain skills, knowledge and motivation to become self-sufficient and revitalize the community.

The WIC Mission To safeguard the health of low-income women, infants & children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) helps to prevent health problems and improve the health status of participants through better nutrition. WIC does not provide total nutrient needs but rather “prescribes” specific foods that supplement the participant’s diet, to improve the intake of

º Vitamin A,      º Protein,
º Vitamin B6,    º Calcium,
º Vitamin C,      º Folate, and
º Iron,               º Zinc.

The WIC food package emphasizes these nutrients because national studies have demonstrated that the eligible population is low in these target nutrients. The nutrition education accompanying these foods has a practical relationship to participants’ nutritional needs, lifestyles and cultural preferences. When the WIC program has accomplished its purpose, WIC benefits may no longer be necessary.

Congress created WIC in 1972 in response to studies showing that children fail to reach their full potential both physically and mentally when they do not have enough to eat or the right foods on their plates. Some children also suffered because their mothers were not getting adequate nutrition during pregnancy.

The WIC program strives to substantially reduce illness and disability in the target population, and to provide better nutrition to develop during the critical years – fetal, infant, and early childhood. WIC is another part of the services that La Clinica provides.