Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution amends the Public Health 2024 Operating Budget to accept a WI Department of Health Services (DHS) grant for $261,640 due to increased caseload in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. The grant will fund a 1.0 FTE Bilingual Dietetic Specialist and a 1.0 FTE WIC Program Manager ($249,500) and program supplies and services ($12,140). Public Health anticipates that the positions will be hired early in the third quarter of 2024 and there will be continued funding while caseloads remain at the current level.
Title
Amending the Public Health Operating Budget to Accept WI Department of Health Services Grant Funding for a 1.0 FTE Bilingual Dietetic Specialist and a 1.0 FTE WIC Program Manager
Body
WHEREAS, Public Health Madison & Dane County (Public Health) has a long history of administering the WIC program in Dane County through federal funding dispersed by the WI Department of Health Services (DHS). The program provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and food benefits to income eligible moms, infants, and babies; and
WHEREAS, the program is now considered one of the most successful federally funded nutrition programs in the United States and has myriad studied beneficial health outcomes for its participants. Among these include improved birth outcomes and savings in health care costs, improved diet and diet-related outcomes, improved feeding practices, improved immunization rates and improved access to medical and social service care; and
WHEREAS, Public Health recognizes the importance of primary prevention and wraparound support for newly pregnant moms and babies. This program works in tandem with Public Health’s Perinatal Care Coordination Program, Nurse Family Partnership Program, and other Maternal & Child Health initiatives; and
WHEREAS, during the COVID pandemic, the WIC program shifted to a hybrid work environment, which eased enrollment and participation barriers for many Dane County reside...
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