The News Tribune: Need help feeding your baby during shutdown? You can turn here in Pierce County
By: Isha Trivedi
As the federal government shutdown endures and funding for the Women, Infants and Children Nutrition program remains in question, local officials identified alternative resources for Pierce County residents who rely on the federal program.
The Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, also known as WIC, provides resources like healthy food, formula and breast- and chest-feeding support for new parents and pregnant people. The federally-funded program has five clinics in Tacoma, but with the ongoing government shutdown those resources could be in jeopardy.
The state’s Department of Health secured funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to maintain funding for WIC through “mid to late November.” The funding could run out sooner if WIC-redemption rates increase, according to a news release from the Department of Health.
Chantell Harmon Reed, director of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, told reporters at a news conference Oct. 29 that WIC clinics will remain open across Pierce County through 2025. The department is working to find solutions to get baby formula to families who rely on it in the event that funding for WIC runs out before the shutdown ends, she added.
Reed also urged people who rely on WIC not to dilute formula or to attempt to make their own formula. In the event that funding for WIC runs out, Reed called for families to use family-resource centers the department maintains. The 10 centers across Pierce County offer supplies and resources like food and diapers. Contact the health department at mchservices@tpchd.org or 253-649-1404 for more information.
“Our staff are ready to connect you with services and resources to keep your family safe and healthy,” she told reporters.
Chris Ladish, chair of the Pierce County WIC formula task force, said WIC provides an essential resource for Pierce County’s most vulnerable families and said federal lawmakers should “prioritize our families rather than politics.” The task force is working on a “coordinated response” to secure formula for those in need, Ladish said at the news conference.
“We are receiving very frightening questions from families who are trying to get ahead of this crisis by asking questions such as, ‘What’s the least amount of formula that I can safely give my child to weather this storm?’” Ladish told reporters. “These calls are gut-wrenching and avoidable. To all parents who are hearing this, I wish to say: We hear you. We’re aware of you. We care about you, and we’re coming together to support you through this crisis.”
U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-WA10, criticized Republicans for the shutdown. “I want to make one thing abundantly clear,” Strickland told reporters. “We are in this Republican health care crisis and Republican shutdown because they are not interested in coming to the table to talk to Senate Democrats about what it’s going to take to get them to open government.”