Promoting WIC Collaboration with Health Departments and Communities

The WIC Collaborations Project identifies current practices in state, local, and county Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program collaboration within their internal and external organizational structure to deliver food and nutrition to eligible women, infants, and children. The Project surveyed of 105 WIC directors located in State and local health agencies, Indian Tribal Organizations, community action programs (CAPs), and private or non-profit community providers on policy and administrative coordination, clinical coordination, and community based initiatives to find collaboration strategies to deliver higher quality service and reduce administrative burden. While all directors at state agencies reported at least one type of written agreement with a collaborative agency; 14.0 percent of local health departments and 17.0 percent of private, non-profit agencies reported no written agreements. Follow-up focus groups with states in two HHS Regions discussed successes and challenges of collaborating with state and local health departments, private nonprofits, and clinics. WIC programs and State, Tribal, and Local health departments and other agencies and organizations can learn from presented case studies on WIC collaboration strategies to deliver higher quality service and reduce administrative burden.