The North Country’s two Federally Qualified Health Centers -- Community Health Center of the North Country (CHCNC), based in Canton, and North Country Family Health Center (NCFHC), based in Watertown -- have collaborated to restructure administration of WIC services across their four-county service areas.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) currently provides nutrition education, breast feeding support, and nutritious foods to more than 16,000 women, infants and children across the North Country.

“Our current WIC contract for Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, and Franklin Counties expires in September 2015 and a new Request for Applications (RFA) for the next five year funding cycle for the WIC Program was released at the end of last year. Since the release of the new RFA, we have worked with CHCNC to discuss their interest in supporting the WIC Program in St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties” said NCFHC Executive Director Joey Marie Horton.

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) must define the service area where they will provide primary care services to patients. NCFHC’s service area includes Jefferson and Lewis Counties.

CHCNC’s service area includes St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties. CHCNC has decided to augment the programs in their current service area by applying to bring the WIC Program in St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties under their umbrella.

“North Country Family Health Center is very pleased with CHCNC’s interest in providing WIC services to St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties,” said Joey Marie Horton. “Their willingness to take on this new role will allow a single agency to provide a full range of primary care services (including dental services) alongside the WIC Program. This model already helps NCFHC offer convenient “one-stop shopping” to our WIC clients in Jefferson and Lewis Counties. We know it is an effective and efficient way to provide care. We have partnered with CHCNC to prepare their application and will continue working together as long as necessary to ensure a smooth transition. Both CHCNC and NCFHC are committed to collaborating to ensure the entire North Country region continues to receive a high quality, standardized WIC Program.

CHCNC plans to maintain all current NCFHC WIC sites during the first year of the WIC contract. Staffing patterns may change as a result of this reorganization, but services for WIC participants will not be interrupted. CHCNC is dedicated to providing WIC services that are of the highest quality and that are delivered in a compassionate and empowering manner.

CHCNC currently provides services in St. Lawrence County at locations in Canton and Gouverneur as well as in Franklin County at their Malone facility. “We are very excited to pursue the opportunity to transition the WIC program in both St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties over to CHCNC,” said CHCNC Executive Director Anne Richey. “Our team’s goal, as is NCFHC’s, is to provide quality, accessible, and comprehensive health and human services to anyone who needs them regardless of income. We are here to help people in the communities in which we serve, and this change will allow both of our organizations to continue the pursuit of that goal in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible, while increasing the convenience for the consumer. With the positive working relationship already in place with NCFHC we all look forward to working together on a seamless transition.”

Notice of the 2015 Award was received in early August and the transition of project oversight to CHCNC is slated to begin October 1.

WIC helps parents to feed their children nutritious foods during their critical early years by providing vouchers which allow families to purchase nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables, eggs, cheese, cereal, milk, juice, and peanut butter to supplement their diets. Formula, cereal and juice are also available for infants.

WIC is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the New York State Department of Health. For more information, www.nocofamilyhealth.org or call 386-8128.