County Receives $65,000 In WIC Funds to Assist with Health Department Clinic Renovations

Upper Cumberland Regional Health Director Debbie Johnson joined other state and local officials today to present a total of $65,000 in federal funding from the United States Department of Agriculture for the Women, Infants and Children Special Supplemental Nutrition Program to DeKalb County. The funds will be used to assist with renovations at the health department clinic in Smithville to improve services to WIC clients.
“The goal of the WIC program is to protect the health of mothers and young children by providing nutritious foods and nutrition education,” said Johnson. “We are pleased the USDA has committed these financial resources to ensure the families of DeKalb County will continue to have access to these important health services.”
The DeKalb County WIC clinic has served more than 1,000 clients during the past year, which led to more than $422,000 in WIC vouchers being redeemed in the county. The federal funding award will be used for improvements to a WIC clinic room and the patient intake area at the health department facility in Smithville.
“We are thrilled to get these federal funds to assist with renovating our clinic,” said DeKalb County Health Director Frances Reese. “These improvements will help make WIC and other health department services more accessible for the residents of DeKalb County.”
DeKalb County is one of 20 Tennessee counties to receive federal funding to enhance WIC services. Funding awards are based upon the size of the county’s WIC population.
The WIC Special Supplemental Nutrition Program is a federal program designed to provide supplemental food to low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children until the age of five. The program provides nutrition education, supplemental foods, breastfeeding promotion and support and referrals for health care. WIC in Tennessee is administered by the Department of Health. Learn more about the program online at http://health.state.tn.us/wic/index.htm.
(Pictured Left to Right: Dr. Fred Vossel, Upper Cumberland Medical Director; Mike Foster, DeKalb County Mayor; Debbie Johnson, Upper Cumberland Regional Director; Frances Reece, DeKalb County Health Department Director)