WIC ServICeS
WIC aCknOWledgement
WIC OutreaCh
Participant Centered Services
Sheila farnan leadership Award
Quarterly regional WIC Meetings
for positive nutrition and health related behaviors
honoring outstanding WIC leadership
page 3
page 2
updates, training and sharing information
page 4
MINNESOTA WIC NEWS fOr hEAlTh AdMINISTrATOrS, dIrECTOrS & COOrdINATOrS
from the Director
Post Shutdown Summary
& t hanks!
thanks again to all our partners for your
collaboration and help over the period
of the federal shutdown from October 1
to October 16. I am so impressed and
gratified by the many ways
local agencies planned
to support their WIC
staff and WIC families
as they planned actions
if the program were
to be shut down.
feDeral ShutDown factS:
3 Some WIC Programs in other states
closed briefly during the federal shutdown;
some states served only certain high
priority groups or issued food benefits
for only one month.
3 Minnesota was one of the few states
in which every WIC clinic remained open,
offering full WIC services.
3 Minnesota participation remains
on target with previous months despite the
much-publicized concerns about the program
and the impact of three days of WIC clinic
closures during the WIC conference.
Continued on page 2
jANuAry 2014
Lan guage
for
Marketing the WIC program
During the past few months, Hunger Free Minnesota funded four focus groups which were
composed of WIC eligible families who have either not participated in the WIC program
or have participated in the past. The purpose of the focus groups was to help identify
the Voice of the Customer and the most attractive messaging about the WIC program.
Local agencies may want to consider this information when developing outreach material
and your website information about WIC. The MDH WIC team has been working with
Hunger Free and will be meeting with the marketing group to develop an enhanced
marketing plan at the state level.
Meanwhile, consider how the list below of most liked attributes about WIC could be
helpful to you and your WIC program.
Most Liked Messages abouT WIC
1
2
3
4
5
Warm, inviting
language
that focuses on WIC benefits
Clear, concise
eligibility guidelines
Breastfeeding
support as a program
benefit
Emphasis on
appealing & high value
foods provided
WIC benefits as an
extra resource to help
maintain healthy, happy families
Children’s health & nutrition
family connections through healthy foods
Kindergarten preparation
healthy pregnancy and birth, nutrition for moms
Easy-to-understand language
Income guideline chart by family size
how involvement in other programs
affects or implies eligibility
Counseling/support services
Education
fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese,
bread, cereal, peanut butter
for families not breastfeeding,
infant formula
advocacy
innovation
collaboration
mentoring
the
the sheila Farnan WiC Leadership award
was announced at the WIC Conference on october 30, 2013.
sheila Farnan was a public health nutritionist and long-time
advocate for the nutrition needs of mothers and children,
working in the Minnesota WIC program for many
years. she died in 2004. The Minnesota WIC program
in collaboration with the WIC advisory group
honors sheila’s leadership and her memory by
presenting an award at each WIC Conference.
The award is open to current local WIC leaders who have
demonstrated outstanding leadership through their advocacy,
Sheila Farnan
Leadership
Award
innovation, collaboration, and/or mentoring.
The 2013 Recipient was Mary Peick, St. Paul Ramsey County, WIC Coordinator.
Here is an excerpt from Mary’s acceptance speech:
We had four nominations
for the award:
Carla gauwitz
WIC Coordinator
Otter Tail County
Laurie kratky
WIC Coordinator
Olmsted County
Mary Peick
WIC Coordinator
St. Paul/Ramsey County
deb thingstad Boe
WIC Coordinator
Dakota County
“
,
mplished, generous
IC: she was acco
W
of
y
it
er
ir
ev
sp
r
e
fo
e
ment of th
e very best outcom
was the embodi
ed. She wanted th
rv
ch of them,
se
ea
e
or
sh
f
e
n
re
Sheila Farnan
om
ld
tc
hi
c
ou
about the
very best
e
d
th
re
ca
nt
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eil
to
Sh
n,
…
re
— scheduling
’s child
kind, and fun.
e front lines of WIC
to serve Minnesota
e
th
sir
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de
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ar
at
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An
ound work that
Some
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ar
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So
.
riz
l of us are
uchers
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g HuBERT. And al
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tin
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,
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rs
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oo
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s
IC
ss
ou
W
po
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tr
makes this al
nderful benefits
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ly providing the wo
the breastfeeding
s,
m
ra
og
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ity
indirectly or direct
un
mm
ncy plans,
edical care and co
elessly on continge
tir
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rk
wo
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af
the referrals to m
st
wn was
l WIC
even if the shutdo
wn, state and loca
do
ly,
ut
du
sh
un
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r
th
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g
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rin
t
ate, du
ts and feed
would no
…all across the st
mortgage paymen
those most at risk
e
at
ak
th
m
re
to
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le
as
ab
to
be
. This
d do
ould
doing all they coul
not know if they w
tanding WIC service
d
ts
di
ou
l
om
ua
wh
us
of
eir
e
th
m
e
aff, so
re about
to provid
prolonged. WIC st
for you, we ca
e
their worry aside
t
er
pu
h
r,
e
be
ar
em
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ov
w
N
rs--in
IC kids and mothe
their own children
itment to our W
m
m
co
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ou
es
illustrat
n you.
ill not abando
al test of a
you, and we w
ate, said “The mor
st
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e who
om
fr
r
to
e great Sena
e, the children; thos k,
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re
wn
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Hu
th
rt
at
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Hube
adow of life, the sic
it treats those who
e who are in the sh
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government is how
d
an
;
ed
s pass that
ag
e
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ic health program
bl
pu
r
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ot
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are in the twilight
an
te the very
handicapped.” WIC
. We should celebra
rs
the needy, and the
lo
ry
co
g
in
fly
th
wi
y years. I am so ve
rnment
moral test of gove
families for so man
y
u.
an
m
yo
th
so
r
wi
fo
rk
ne
wo
have do
ibly rewarding WIC
real good that we
portant and incred
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in
do
be
grateful to
ary Peick
M
Thank you.
COver StOry COntInued
from the Director
Commissioner Ehlinger stated the situation well in his letter to WIC local Agencies:
“
“This successful mitigation of the shutdown impacts would not have been possible without the
support and teamwork of local public health, tribes, nonprofit WIC grantees and other partners,
and we thank you for your excellent collaboration. Together we protected Minnesota’s
pregnant women, mothers and young children from potentially serious loss of vital WIC services
and key sources of nutrition including infant formula and special medical formula.”
This is an awesome accomplishment. Congratulations and much thanks!
2
the WOrd On WIC
Betsy
Together
we protected Minnesota’s
pregnant women,
mothers
and young children
COMMISSIONEr EhlINgEr
OCTObEr 2013
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wic partnerShipS
wic ServiceS
Participant Centered
Participant Centered services (PCs) is a systems approach to providing WIC
services, with the focus on meeting participant needs and supporting them in making
positive behavior change. We used the 2013 WIC Conference, Connecting with You!,
to launch pCs. We had a session providing an overview of the pCs model; another
linking the WIC nutrition assessment to individualized, focused, participant centered
education; and a panel comprised of staff from the 7 local agencies which piloted pCs
over the summer.
Highlights shared by the PaneL
using pCs skills,
staff listened
more and talked
less. Participants
shared more,
and were more
actively engaged
in the conversation.
staff felt that more
time was spent
talking about what
matters to the
participant.
staff were more
focused on
participants
(their interest/
concerns, and
what they wanted
to work on) and
less focused on
the computer.
by focusing
on behaviors
participants
identified as ones
they wanted to
work on, staff saw
more interest and
commitment by
participants.
appointments
did not take any
longer, but seemed
to accomplish
more.
PiLot agenCies shared some “lessons learned”
To be
successful, all
staff (from the
administrator
to the clerk)
need to be
included in
the process
and to “buy­
in” and
support pCs.
Maintain
momentum:
keep pCs
a priority;
and look for
opportunities
to be more
“pCs.”
Local
agencies
need to
schedule time
for training
and for
mentoring.
“Mentoring”
is critical to
building staff
skills; and
most effective
when people
are mentored
by their peers,
not by a
supervisor.
start with
small goals,
and build from
there – plan
on continuous
growth.
Advisory Group
This is an update on the WIC Advisory group,
information on its structure and future openings.
The mn WIC advisory group (ag) has been
in place for about 15 years, and was formed
to create an opportunity for representatives from
WIC local agencies to share information,
identify challenges and opportunities
in administering the program, and to make
recommendations to the state WIC program.
The collaboration has been invaluable to the state
WIC staff over the years in forming our decisions
and policies.
The Ag meets quarterly in St. Paul. The agenda
is developed jointly by Ag members and the WIC
Management Team, and the meeting is facilitated
by a Chair, selected by the group.
The composition of the group reflects the diversity
of WIC local agencies, in terms of region, size,
and type (e.g., Tribal Agencies and CAP).
About a year ago, as positions opened up, the
group recognized redundancy and ambiguity in
the “representative categories,” and decided to
evaluate the structure and consider redefining
the categories. Together, the Ag and management
team decided that beginning january 2014,
the group will be comprised of:
• a representative from each of the 5 regions
(NW, NE, SE, SW/Central, and “Metro”);
• someone representing the 7 WIC Tribal Agencies;
• a representative for each of 7 size
categories (based on monthly participation);
state agenCy plans for implementation
• CHS Administrators representative, and
The state will publish an RFp to establish a contract with trainers who will conduct trainings
around the state, and assist state staff in providing support to local agencies. We expect
that pCs implementation will occur in “waves” with several local agencies being trained at
a time, before a second wave of training occurs – to provide adequate time and support to
ensure local agency success. We anticipate the first wave of training to begin in early summer.
as we firm up the plans we will notify local agencies. This is an on-going process.
• a representative from LPHA.
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With this new structure, there are several
positions open, which were announced in the
WIC Wednesday Update.
the WOrd On WIC
3
Quarterly regional WIC meetings
LAst WIntER, MInnEsotA WIC
began holding regular quarterly regional
meetings around the state to provide
program updates, training and discussion/
sharing time for WIC Coordinators.
previously the WIC program held regional
meetings on an as needed basis, but we
recognized an ongoing need to bring
WIC Coordinators together on a regular
basis to address emergent topics and
policies and support quality improvement
of WIC services.
The schedule for quarterly regional WIC
meetings has now been set for calendar
year 2014.
The target audience for these meetings
is WIC Coordinators (or someone they
designate). We encourage at least one
person from each agency to attend.
wic
meetingS
will occur during the following weeks
february 24-28
May 27-30
august 25-29
noveMber 17-21
For specific dates and times in your region,
check with your WIC consultant.
examples of important topics include
• changes in WIC- allowed foods
• HuBERT enhancement release
announcements
• Participant Centered Services
introduction
• WIC Funding
WIC is a complex and dynamic program
that requires ongoing education and
support. Local agency WIC Coordinators’
attendance at these meetings supports the
ongoing needs of your WIC program for
high quality and effective WIC services.
wic health data
MDH WIC staff have reorganized the Reports and Data pages
of the WIC website to help WIC report users find information
more easily and to provide a place for newly- developed annual,
“at a glance” type reports. These reports are in addition to the
HubeRT pre-defined reports and Infoview reports.
REPORTS and DATA
please take a look at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/localagency/reports/index.html
Participaton & Demographics
c
one example under the Participation and Demographic topic
is the Number of teen (< 20 years old) WIC Participants,
based on the participant’s current county of residence.
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/localagency/reports/
pptndemo/undupage/teenmoms2012.pdf
WIC
People who attended
the WIC Conference
LocaL agencies
who attended
exibitors
COnferenCe
SeSSIOnS
4
the WOrd On WIC
In accordance with federal law and u. S. department
of Agriculture policy, the WIC Program is prohibited
from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, age, or disability. Persons seeking to file
discrimination complaints should write to uSdA,
director, Office of Adjudication and Compliance
1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, dC 20250-9410,
or call (800) 795-3272 (voice)
or (202) 720-6382 (TTy).
uSdA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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