NWA Monday Morning Report for August 10 2015

NWA Monday Morning Report for August 10 2015

NWA Monday Morning Report for August 10, 2015
In This Issue
Thank You of the Week
Legislative Update
Register for the 2015 Technology and Program Integrity Conference
Report of the 2015-2016 NWA Nominating Committee
Share Your WIC Stories!
Study: WIC Participation and Costs are Stable
Delaware Hospitals to Stop Giving Free Formula
Community Partnerships for Healthy Mothers and Children
Reforms of Social Service Partnerships
Open Comment Period: Promise Zones Third Round Application Process
Correction to Illinois Story
Volunteer Opportunities
Career Corner
Congressional Schedule
NWA Calendar
Thank You of the Week
Your commitment to mothers and young children powerfully impacts our nation’s families. Here is
one WIC participant’s reflection on the good work that you do:
My husband lost his job and has had his salary cut at his new job so our budget is limited.
Through our monthly vouchers I am able to supplement our grocery budget, buy fruits/veggies
that would otherwise be over our budget, and provide my family with much needed staple
items. We also receive knowledge and support about any feeding issues that may arise. WIC
services have been an answer to prayer and a much appreciated financial support during out
time of need. --WIC Participant, South Dakota
Legislative Update
Be a Voice for WIC during August Recess: Both Houses of Congress are currently on August
recess and will return to Capitol Hill on September 8, 2015. During this time, when members of
Congress will be in their home districts, the National WIC Association would like to encourage you to
reach out to your Senators, Representative, and their staff to give them a tour of a WIC clinic in your
district. Providing legislators with an inside-look into what WIC does and who WIC serves will help to
emphasize how important the program is and show policy-makers that WIC is worth protecting.
If you aren’t sure who your Representative and Senators are, please use our Engage platform to
look them up. Once you know who your members of Congress are, you can find their local office
contact information on their website. To set up a visit, call the local office and explain who you are
and that you would like to find a time to provide the Representative or Senator with a tour of a local
WIC clinic while he or she is home on the August recess.
If this is the first time that you will be reaching out to a member of Congress directly to host a visit,
we at NWA are happy to connect you with veteran hosts in the WIC community so that you can learn
the best and easiest ways to organize an event.
Also, you may be wondering what you should talk about with your member of Congress, should you
have the opportunity to meet with them. A good place to start would be to review our “Creating WIC
Messages” PowerPoint presentation. Some additional resources to draw from include our WIC: Solid
Returns on Investment fact sheet and our WIC for a Healthier, Stronger America fact sheet.
If you’re comfortable, you may want to bring up the issue of Medicaid adjunctive eligibility. Medicaid
adjunctive eligibility is currently under threat in Congress (particularly in the House of
Representatives), so it’s important for members of Congress to hear from constituents about the
importance of Medicaid adjunctive eligibility. For more information on the importance of adjunctive
eligibility, please see our fact sheet. NWA also recently conducted a survey of state WIC directors
about the importance of Medicaid adjunctive eligibility in their states. You can see some of the
results here.
The main point that you want to stress when you speak with members of Congress is that for over
40 years, WIC has played a vital role in transforming the health and nutrition of vulnerable, lowincome mothers and young children to age 5, and the program should therefore be protected and
preserved. It is particularly powerful if you can provide local stories of WIC’s impacts and also local
and/or state statistics on how WIC has improved health outcomes in your region.
If you have any questions at all about how to engage members of Congress while they are home on
recess, please do not hesitate to contact Elisabet Eppes, Program Associate, at [email protected]
or (202) 232-5492. Thank you for being a voice for WIC!
Register for the 2015 Technology and Program Integrity Conference
NWA invites its membership and partners to join us in St. Louis, “Gateway to the West”, for our 2015
Technology and Program Integrity Conference from Monday, September 28th to Wednesday,
September 30th. You can expect to find a thoroughly planned program that will engage the “techie”
in each attendee. You are encouraged to fully immerse yourself in each general and concurrent
session that you attend. This conference is an opportunity for you to share and exchange
information with colleagues, learn new concepts from subject matter experts, and gain insight into
new innovate ideas that are rapidly changing the way we think about technology.
Tentative Agenda
Register Today!
Reserve your hotel today!
The cut-off date for our negotiated room rates is Tuesday, September 8, 2015. Rooms are filling up
quickly!
Report of the 2015-2016 NWA Nominating Committee
The 2014-2015 NWA Nominating Committee is pleased to provide the final report of the election for
the offices of Chair-Elect, Treasurer, section/coalition representatives, and for the 2015-2016
Nominating Committee. NWA voting members and their proxies cast their ballots during the NWA
Annual Business meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at our annual Conference in Los Angeles.
The 2014-15 Nominating Committee wishes to thank all the individuals who ran for office and to
congratulate the following officers and committee members who were elected by the Association’s
Voting Members.
Elvie Guthrie-Lewis, MS, RDN, LD, CPM -- Chair-Elect 2015-16; Chair 2016-2017; ChairEmeritus 2017-2018
Elvie Guthrie-Lewis is a US citizen originally from the island of Jamaica. She received her diploma in
secondary education at Shortwood Teachers’ College. Mrs. Guthrie-Lewis taught high school food
and nutrition for over eight years, and then worked two years as a teacher’s trainer. She holds a BS
in Nutrition and Dietetics and Institution Management from Alcorn State University. Mrs. GuthrieLewis also holds a MS in Education with an emphasis in Nutrition. She is a registered and licensed
dietitian, Certified Public Manager, and a graduate of the South Central Public Health Leadership
Institute (SCPHLI). Elvie also taught as an adjunct instructor in food and science at Alcorn State
University during her graduate studies. Twenty eight years ago, she joined the WIC staff in the
Coastal Plains Public Health District of the Mississippi State Department of Health, where she
worked five years as a Clinic Nutritionist, and twenty years as the Local Agency WIC Director.
Three years ago Elvie was appointed to serve in her current position as the State WIC Director.
Along the way, she has worked ten years as a part-time clinical dietitian for a small hospital, and
taught nutrition at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Public Health and the WIC Program
have become her passion for the past twenty eight years. Elvie also served as a former Local
Agency Section Chair and Local Agency Southeastern Regional representative on the NWA Board.
In Elvie’s words, “I have used my background in education, and my love for nutrition and
breastfeeding to educate anyone who will give me an ear on their benefits to good health. I have
served four years as the Southeast Region Local Agency Representative on the NWA Board, and
would be honored to serve as your Chair Elect and subsequent Chair of the Association, and be a
voice for all of WIC.”
•
Sue Woodbury, MBA, RDN, Treasurer 2015-2017
Sue Woodbury, MBA, RDN is the Oregon State WIC Director and Section Manager for the Nutrition
& Health Screening Section, Oregon Public Health Division. She has held this position since October
of 2004. In her current role, she manages WIC services for 99,000 WIC participants through 34 local
agencies. She has led many statewide efforts in the WIC program including establishing the
Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon, the expansion of the breastfeeding peer counseling program,
promoting policy changes to increase access to healthy food across the state, the re-establishment
of the Oregon State WIC Advisory Board, and now the move to EBT.
For the past three years, Sue has served on the NWA Board representing the State WIC Directors of
the Western Region and as co-chair of the State Directors Section for the past two years. As Cochair she has worked to revitalize the section, enhance communications with USDA, and provide
opportunities for section members to network, learn, and collaborate. Sue has also served on
several NWA task forces and committees. Sue considers working for WIC and being involved with
the NWA community to be the highlight of her career.
2015-2016 Nominating Committee
Michael Welch, PhD, State Agency Section Representative
Dr. Michael Welch is the State WIC Director for the Commonwealth of Virginia, a position he has
held for four years. Prior to taking this leadership role, he was a Program Manager/WIC Coordinator
for a Local WIC Agency for nearly 15 years. Dr. Welch has a firm belief in training and educating his
staff at the state and local level and giving them the support they need to help the WIC Program in
Virginal to be forward thinking and innovative in their service delivery. This education philosophy is
close to his roots as a former Associate Professor for the United States Military Academy and
Guilford College for a combined total of 14 years. Dr. Welch has held a leadership role on the NWA
Board as the State Director’s Regional Representative for the Mind-Atlantic Region from 2010-2014
and he currently sits on the board of the Virginia Chapter of the March of Dimes.
Leonard Mirabal, National Indian & Native American WIC Coalition (NINAWC) Representative
Currently, Mr. Mirabal is the WIC Director for the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council, Inc.
(ENIPC). He has been with the WIC Program since May of 2013. ENIPC is one of seven Indian
Tribal Organizations in New Mexico. In addition, Mr. Mirabal is Chairperson of the National Indian
Native American WIC Coalition (NINWC) and represents the ITO representative under the NWA
Board. This position is a two year term ending in May-2016. Previously, Mr. Mirabal worked under
the USDA National School Lunch Program with the State of New Mexico Student Nutrition Bureau.
Nicole Nicholas, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition Services Section Representative
Nicole Nicholas is the State Nutrition Coordinator for the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s
WIC Program. She is ending her term on the NWA Board of Directors after serving two years as the
Nutrition Services Section (NSS) representative for the Southeast Region and Co-Chair of the
section for the past year and a half. Prior to her role as Kentucky Nutrition Coordinator, Nicole
worked in the WIC Program at the local agency level, serving as a WIC Nutritionist for 7 years, and a
local agency WIC Director for 5 years. Nicole believes that “serving on this committee would be an
opportunity to help to ensure strong leaders for the Association who can work towards NWA’s vision
of a nation of healthier women, children, and their families.”
Christine O’Brien, LD, Local Agency Section Representative
Christine O'Brien has been with the WIC Program for over 30 years as the Coordinator of a smaller,
local agency. In the past 10 years, she has served on the NWA Board of Directors as the Mountain
Plains Local Agency Representative, the Local Agency Section Chair and recently served as the
Board Secretary for four years. She has also served on the Legislative Committee for several years.
She says, "It was and is an honor and privilege to be involved with our Association!"
The Voting Members also voted on the proposed NWA Bylaw changes.
• NWA 2015 Proposed Bylaw Changes
• NWA Bylaw Changes Rationale
Share Your WIC Stories!
On September 17, 2015 the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will markup the
reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.
Leading up to the markup, NWA is collecting stories from WIC participants, service providers and
anyone else who has been impacted by WIC. We had a webinar on August 3rd that you can listen to
or review the slides for more information.
You can share your story with us online, or print a postcard (for participants or for staff) and mail it to
Hannah Shultz at:
National WIC Association
2001 S Street NW Suite 580
Washington, DC 20009
One side of the post card can be colored if you wish. Before sending, write your city and state on the
Greetings line and fill in your elected officials (if you don't know who they are, here is a handy tool).
All post cards should be postmarked by August 21, 2015.
Study: WIC Participation and Costs are Stable
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities has a new report showing WIC participation and costs
have remained steady and are near pre-recession levels. According to the report, WIC participation
follows poverty and birth trends; participation increased during the recession but has gone down
since.
Delaware Hospitals to Stop Giving Free Formula
Delaware hospitals will no longer give free infant formula to mothers when they are discharged after
giving birth. Formula will still be available in the hospital for moms who have trouble breastfeeding,
but it will not be a part of the free bag they receive when they leave the hospital.
Community Partnerships for Healthy Mothers and Children
A local TV station interviewed Ayan Ibrahim of the Gaithersburg Health Center, a sub-recipient of the
Community Partnerships for Healthy Mothers and Children grant. Fast forward to 19 minutes to hear
how the organization is working on a referral process to facilitate warm hand offs to other health
services.
Reforms of Social Service Partnerships
Last week, the White House announced common-ground reforms "that strengthen the partnerships
the federal government forms with faith-based and community organizations for the purpose of
serving people in need." Nine federal agencies have now issued notices of proposed rulemaking to
clarify and add to the protections social service agencies have.
Open Comment Period: Promise Zones Third Round Application Process
Promise Zones are high poverty areas where the federal government works with local leaders to
work toward priorities identified by the community as well as other stated objectives. Until September
28, 2015, stakeholders are invited to submit comments about the selection process. More
information is available here.
Correction to Illinois Story
The Illinois state government has had limited operations because of a failure of the state legislature
and the governor to agree on a budget for over a month. While WIC food dollars are being
distributed, NSA money is held up. Local government sponsored agencies continue to operate. Two
non-profit agencies have closed. At the encouragement of NWA, USDA has actively sought to
negotiate a remedy for the NSA shortfall. Margaret Saunders, Director of CEDA WIC in Cook county
and former NWA Board Chair, has been active in the media talking about the situation as it impacts
the non-profit CEDA WIC Agency: ABC 7 Chicago, CBS Local Chicago, Chicago Tribune, WGN,
Telemundo Chicago, Univision.
Volunteer Opportunities
View our current openings in NWA’s Committees and Task Forces! Participating helps you grow
professionally, build lasting, networking relationships with your peers, and shape important policies
for the future of WIC and WIC moms and young children.
We welcome your participation. If you have a particular interest or expertise and wish to volunteer,
please contact your NWA Board Representative or Robert A. Lee at [email protected]/202-232-5492.
Career Corner
Current Postings are also available on our WIC Job Postings page.
• WIC EBT Project Manager, WA
• WIC State Supervisor/Breastfeeding Coordinator, WY
• WIC Coordinator/Nutrition Supervisor, CA
Congressional Schedule
Both houses of Congress are on recess until September 8.
NWA Calendar
2015 Biennial Technology and Program Integrity Education & Networking Conference and Exhibits
at the Renaissance Grand Hotel located in downtown St. Louis, MO.
NWA's mission: NWA inspires and empowers the WIC community to advocate for and promote quality nutrition
services for all eligible mothers and young children, and assure effective management of WIC.
National WIC Association 2001 S Street, NW, Suite 580 Washington, DC 20009 TEL 202.232.5492 FAX 202.387.5281