Making WIC Work for Multicultural Communities - Food Research ...

Responding to Demographic Changes
Agency Name
Fairfax County Health Department, WIC Program
Project Description
The population of Fairfax Country has become
increasingly diverse over the last several years.
Fairfax County WIC has developed a
comprehensive multicultural outreach campaign
to respond to these demographic changes to
ensure they are serving the diverse families that
are now residing within the county. The
campaign includes both external partnerships
with area organizations and internal integration
efforts with other county programs. The
outreach efforts of Fairfax county staff
contributed to a 5 percent growth in WIC
participation from October 2008 to April 2009.
External Outreach
Fairfax County WIC currently partners with 21 local organizations to reach potential WIC participants.
These community partners included resources centers, schools, religious organizations, and other
community programs. Some of the partnerships include:
• Bryant Adult Alternative High School: WIC partners with Bryant, an alternative school for
pregnant teens, to educate students about the WIC program and work with school nurses to
refer eligible students to WIC.
• Catholic Charities: Fairfax County WIC partners with Catholic Charities in Springfield to reach out
to the families with adopted children. Adopted children are eligible for Medicaid and therefore are
automatically eligible for WIC services but adoptive families are often uncomfortable or unwilling
to visit a WIC clinic. Fairfax County WIC requires that a child’s adoptive parents bring the child in
for just his or her first visit for a nutrition assessment. After the initial visit a Catholic Charities
social worker picks up the WIC food vouchers for the family of the adopted child. WIC staff also
provides the social workers nutrition education that they then pass along to adoptive families.
• Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center: WIC staff will plan to hold clinics at the Islamic Center following
Saturday services to disseminate information about the programs, screen potential participants
for eligibility and enroll those who meet the program guidelines. This initiative will start in
August 2009.
• Grace Ministries: WIC staff works with the Grace ministries of Herndon Methodist Church to reach
out to Hispanic families. On the first Saturday of every month Grace Ministries opens their doors
to roughly 200 families in need, offering them food pantry bags, clothing, and other necessities.
On each of these Saturdays WIC staff is present to educate families about WIC and schedule
eligible families for an appointment at the local WIC clinic.
Making WIC Work for Multicultural Communities: Best Practices in Outreach and Nutrition Education 14