WIC

WIC is for all kinds of families: married and single parents, working or not working. If you're a father, mother, grandparent, foster parent or other legal guardian of a child under 5, you can apply for WIC. Individuals who receive Health First Colorado (Medicaid) are automatically eligible for WIC and even those who are over income for Health First Colorado qualify; one may be on WIC and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at the same time.

You can participate in Colorado WIC if you:

• Live in Colorado; U.S. citizenship is not required
• Are pregnant or breastfeeding, and/or have a child younger than 5 years
• Have a family income less than WIC guidelines
• Currently receive Health First Colorado (Medicaid), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
• Have a foster child under age of five

Your first visit will last anywhere from one to two hours; initial appointments for pregnant women typically only take an hour, while individuals who already have one or more children will need to plan for a longer first appointment. At the first WIC appointment, we will confirm eligibility, and screen you and your child(ren) for height, weight, and hemoglobin (check blood for anemia). We will also conduct a nutrition interview and provide appropriate nutrition education and referrals, if necessary.

After enrollment, you will receive an eWIC debit card to use (starting that day!) at local participating grocery stores, which you may use to purchase nutritious WIC foods.

Please bring:

• Identification
• Proof of physical address
• Proof of income

WIC Physician Authorization for Form for Special Formulas (PDF).

WIC mothers are strongly encouraged to breastfeed their infants unless there is a medical reason not to. Research shows there is no better food than breast milk during a baby’s first year of life. Breastfeeding provides many health, nutritional, economical, and emotional benefits to mothers and babies.

WIC provides access to trained breastfeeding peer counselors for any interested moms.

Resources

• Breast Pump Release Form (PDF)
• Breast Pump Release Form Español (PDF)
• Breastfeeding Videos and Handouts (PDF)
• Local Breastfeeding Resources Guide (PDF)
• Usando un Extractor de Leche de WIC (DOCX)
• Using a WIC Breast Pump (DOCX)

The WIC Program at SJBPH has partnered with LiveWell Colorado and local growers for 2 consecutive years to provide weekly produce shares to WIC families in our service area. The goal of LiveWell Colorado's Nutrition Incentive Program is to increase opportunities for food insecure Coloradans to consume more Colorado-grown fruits and vegetables. This program benefits WIC families and also gives our local farmers secure income throughout the season.

Other resources for free or low-cost healthy foods for your family:

• Southwest Colorado Community Food Resources
• Archuleta County Food Pantry Network

Colorado WIC recently switched from using paper WIC checks to a convenient eWIC debit card. WIC clients can expect a better shopping experience and fewer trips to the WIC office:

• Swipe card instead of using paper checks
• No need to separate WIC items at check out
• No need to buy all WIC items at once
• Check your eWIC balance by logging in online or see the remaining balance on receipt
• We can load and adjust monthly benefits remotely instead of printing checks at our office
• Replace some in-person appointments with an online nutrition education lesson. Complete a lesson on WICHealth.org and we'll load your benefits remotely

The free WICShopper app lets WIC participants review available benefits, scan products to identify WIC-allowed foods, find WIC stores, and view recipes on their smartphone.

• Download the WICShopper App from the app store
• Select Colorado as your WIC agency
• Register your eWIC card number from the front of your eWIC card
• View your benefits
• Scan barcodes to identify WIC-allowed foods as you shop