Grant helps health program go mobile

The Portneuf Health Care Foundation awarded Southeastern Idaho Public Health’s WIC program with nearly $44,000, which the program used to buy portable, easy-to-carry equipment.

The WIC program is a supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children. Participants of the program receive nutrition education, referrals, food packages and food vouchers on a monthly basis.

With their grant, WIC staff bought a height board, a medical grade scale, and hemocuevettes to measure a person’s iron levels, along with other equipment.

With declining participation in the program, WIC program Director Kathy Puckett said she’s wanted to go mobile to bring their services into the community. Thanks to the grant, she said WIC Mobile is ready to go.

“It allowed us to purchase really important equipment that we can go out and serve the community better,” Puckett said. “We didn’t have a lot of the things that we needed to be mobile and this helped immensely.”

To participate in the program, people must meet the following requirements:

– Be a resident of the state of Idaho.

– Belong to one of the following categories: be pregnant, be breastfeeding up to one year after childbirth, infants and children up to 5-years-old.

– Be income-eligible — an applicant’s gross income must fall below 185% of the U.S. poverty level guidelines.

– Have an identified nutrition need, like obesity, low iron levels, or food allergies.

For more information or questions about the WIC program, you can call (208) 239-5263.