Clark County WIC Program Funding in the last 4 years
2009 - $772,580
2010 - $859,397
2011 - $930,876
2012 - $907,604
SPRINGFIELD — Clark County WIC officials expect to close one of its offices and lay off staff after the nutrition program learned its funding will be cut more than $240,000 this year.
The local agency, which has offices in Springfield, New Carlisle, Enon and South Charleston, has been told by state officials to plan for a 26.7 percent cut in funding, said Rita Jones, executive director of the Clark County WIC Program. As a result, the program must lay off staff and close its New Carlisle office, she said.
“They’ve said for the last three years to expect cuts to come, but they just didn’t know exactly when. And I don’t think we as the local directors expected them to be so severe, so deep,” she said.
Women Infants and Children pays for formula, canned or frozen fruits and vegetables, milk and bread. Participants, who must meet income requirements, visit offices an average of four times per year unless they attend breast feeding or other classes.
The New Carlisle clinic operates at 429 N. Main St., where officials pay about $20,000 annually for rent and utilities. The clinic serves about 850 clients.
Satellite offices in South Charleston and Enon currently operate rent-free.
Funding cuts for WIC agencies statewide ranged from 7 to 34 percent.
Michelle Frizzell, director of the WIC for the Ohio Department of Health, said the agency has seen consecutive years in federal funding cuts to its administrative budget, dropping 7 percent or from $56.7 million in fiscal year 2011 to $52.8 million in fiscal year 2012.
Frizzell said officials are anticipating more cuts to the program in 2013.
Frizzell said anticipated funding cuts by the local agencies is based on the average cost per participant, which is $17.40 for Clark County. Tremble County’s average cost per participate is $17.49, and officials say they have asked them to anticipate a 23.4 percent cut in funding.
Champaign County funding will not see any funding cuts, but Greene County has been told to anticipate a 22.5 percent cut, according to Ohio Department of Health officials.
Jones said about $25,000 was cut in February, and the biggest reduction is expected Oct. 1 when the agency will lose about $219,000.
Jones said WIC has encouraged its customers to write letters supporting the program to U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, State Sen. Chris Widener, State Rep. Ross McGregor, and U.S. Rep. Steve Austria, in hopes of saving some funding.
Jones said the local agency has reduced office hours and will seek a new location in New Carlisle where the agency can operate rent free.
An unknown number of WIC’s 18 staff members will be laid off in October, she said.
“We used to be a 40-hour week clinic, then we moved to a 37.5-hour a week clinic, then in March of this year we moved to 32 hours to help trim our costs,” Jones said. “In October we will be laying off staff. How many? We don’t know ... But there will be layoffs. And unfortunately we do have to close the New Carlisle office.”
Jones said officials hope to find a new location in New Carlisle by October.
Tecumseh Superintendent Jim Gay said school officials are considering allowing the New Carlisle WIC clinic move into Medway Elementary School, which currently houses Head Start and pre-school students.
“We think it’s a good program. It serves more than 800 people in the community. To keep them here would be good for the area,” Gay said.
Gay said officials will notify WIC officials of their decision at the end of June.
Commissioner John Detrick said the county is also willing to offer office space for the program at the utility building on Gerlaugh Road in Medway.
“We don’t want them to leave western Clark County,” Detrick said. “It’s important that we help keep the quality of life for new babies coming into the world and the WIC program addresses this need for this segment of the population.”
Stacy Jones, 25, of Springfield, who has two children, said she and her family would struggle if they hadn’t received WIC assistance for the last five years.
Stacy Jones, who makes about $11 per hour, said the agency offers breast feeding classes, provided formula for her children when they are infants and milk, bread and eggs as her children aged.
“I think we would be able to afford it (without WIC), but things would be tough,” Stacy Jones said.
About the Author