TAKE ACTION: Protect WIC Funding as Lawmakers Consider Appropriations Bills

Last week, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee marked up Republicans’ proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2024, which would fall $800 million short of the amount necessary to serve a projected caseload of 6.5 million participants. To make up for this shortfall, House Republicans’ proposal would cut the current fruit and vegetable benefit by 50-70 percent. The full House Appropriations Committee has postponed this week's markups in light of debt limit negotiations. NWA continues to urge lawmakers to provide the $6.3 billion in funding needed to serve WIC’s projected increased caseload with the fruit and vegetable benefit left intact.

A bipartisan group of legislators in the House and Senate reintroduced the Wise Investment in our Children (WIC) Act last week. The WIC Act would extend WIC’s postpartum eligibility to two years to improve postpartum and intrapregnancy health outcomes. Additionally, the bill closes the “WIC to 6” gap, extending child eligibility to the 6^th birthday or the start of full-day kindergarten, ensuring there is no lapse in access to critical nutrition support for young children.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through a cooperative agreement with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), has awarded $16 million into 36 projects aimed at testing innovative outreach strategies to increase participation and equity in WIC. Congratulations to two local California WIC agencies, Community Bridges WIC and Northeast Valley Health Corporation WIC, for receiving grants!

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service has invited the public and other public agencies to comment on a proposed information collection for awarding local agencies for excellence in WIC breastfeeding services and support. The deadline for written comment submissions is July 3. Visit the Federal Registrar website for instructions on submitting a comment online or by mail.

In partnership with Baby2Baby a federal program was launched to provide a one time kit to new families, links to resources for caring for and feeding an infant and toddler and funding for a national diaper bank. The newborn kits will be piloted in New Mexico, Louisiana and Arkansas. Additional federal support for low-income families also includes a national texting program for states benefits programs and a case management service. 

This is the time of year when the final state budget negotiations are underway with the Governor’s May budget revise for FY 2023-24, starting on July 1, released with a significant budget shortfall of 22.5B. Budget hearings are now underway in the Senate and Assembly with decisions needed for the new budget starting on July1. Bills that will move forward in the last half of the legislative session to be heard in the second house, were approved. Many of the bills that CWA supports were taken off suspense and will move ahead, as well as several of the budget asks were in the Governor’s May budget.

Some aspects of health care expanded as a result of the pandemic and use of telehealth is one of them. With the pandemic public health emergency over, many ways to use telehealth will remain and some aspects are allowed for an extended time. In California this includes making permanent telehealth policies implemented during the PHE, including payment parity, flexibilities for Federally Qualified Health Center partners and expanding telehealth to all delivery systems. This report from CA Health Care Foundation shares patient experiences and preferences.

Financial support to bolster the health care workforce has expanded with state funding. The California Department of Healthcare Access and Information (HCAI) has many resources, and this links to a very short online screening eligibility tool for students, healthcare professionals, and organizations to quickly see what HCAI programs they may be eligible to apply for. To determine your eligibility, visit Funding Eligibility.

Californians now have a free, confidential way to find lifesaving, high-quality addiction treatment to meet their unique needs. DHCS launched Shatterproof Treatment Atlas, an addiction treatment locator, assessment, and standards platform that will connect individuals to appropriate evidence-based addiction treatment. Additionally, to empower individuals and change attitudes about substance use disorders, DHCS launched Unshame California, a science-driven and content-based campaign that promotes anti-stigma messaging through stories of Californians impacted by substance use disorders. These efforts support Governor Newsom’s Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis, which outlines aggressive steps to support overdose prevention efforts, hold the opioid pharmaceutical industry accountable, crack down on drug trafficking, and raise awareness about the dangers of opioids, including fentanyl.

CWA Annual Conference - Three Weeks to View Sessions!

If you were with us in April for our annual conference, Embracing Opportunity and Health for Children and Families, then you know it was a week full of engaging speakers, valuable content, questions and answers. Shout out to exhibitors and sponsors, key partners for WIC’s success, and to you, the attendees! Did you attend, but miss out on a session you were hoping to catch? Attendees can also return at a later date and watch all presentations and check out trade show materials on the conference platform until June 15th, 2023.

Results of a new research paper (whose authors include Dr. Shannon Whaley of PHFE WIC in Los Angeles) suggest that WIC investment in interactive texting technological infrastructure, and appropriate staff training, can help local WIC agencies successfully reach, retain, and provide high quality services to WIC participants.

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An FDA advisory committee on Thursday voted unanimously to recommend approval of a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine that would be administered to pregnant people to protect their infants. The vote came just over 2 weeks after the FDA approved the first ever vaccine against RSV, GSK’s Arexvy, for adults aged 60 years or older.

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COVID-19 infection during pregnancy predicted worse birth outcomes, including preterm delivery, low birthweight and longer hospital stay, researchers reported at the ACOG Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting.



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The US Preventive Services Task Force released updated draft recommendations on mammograms to begin every other year starting at age 40. They also recommend additional research in some areas including better care of Black women and women with dense breast tissue, higher risks for breast cancer. The US Health and Human Services Agency will consider these recommendations, and if and how, this might be adopted.

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A new statewide study in Michigan suggests that inducing labor at the 39th week of pregnancy for people having their first births with a single baby and low-risk pregnancy doesn't necessarily reduce the risk of caesarian births. In this study, women who underwent elective induction were more likely to have a cesarean birth compared with those who underwent expectant management (30% versus 24%), but this conflicts with published research in 2018 from a multicenter trial known as "ARRIVE" (A Randomized Trial of Induction Versus Expectant Management.)

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