OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced it has secured additional funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to continue providing Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program benefits through at least mid-to-late November.

The newly received funds will also support DOH’s currently reduced 11-member administrative team, which oversees WIC services across the state. The department said this estimate is based on current WIC redemption rates, but if redemption rates increase, the available funding could be exhausted sooner.

DOH continues to monitor the situation and plans to provide updates on its Federal Government Shutdown webpage as more information becomes available.

WIC is a federally funded nutrition program providing food, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant women, new mothers, and young children. More information about the program is available at doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/wic.