Providing support to pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children. This is public health.
Salt Lake City—Today, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson among other leaders, gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. WIC provides nutrition services and healthy foods to eligible pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age five. The event highlighted five decades of WIC’s role in supporting Utah families, and honored long-time WIC employees for their dedicated service to the community.
“Today we celebrate 50 years of this life-saving program and honor the dedicated staff who make it possible,” said Lt. Gov. Henderson. “For half a century, WIC has helped parents give their children nutritious meals and a healthy start in life.”
WIC background
The first Utah WIC clinic opened in Salt Lake City in 1974 (610 S 200 E) and provided services to 2,311 Salt Lake County families that first year. Today, 46 clinics operate statewide serving urban and rural communities alike. The program helps about 47,000 individuals across the state each month. The WIC program offers one-on-one counseling, online nutrition classes, and a variety of resources to support families–such as learning how to feed babies, shop on a budget, breastfeeding support, how to access and prepare nutritious meals, etc.
“WIC has played a critical role in reducing preterm birth, improving birth outcomes, and increasing breastfeeding rates across Utah,” said Chris Furner, state WIC director at DHHS. “We are grateful to WIC’s employees for their tireless efforts to support families in need.”
Thank you, WIC staff, for serving the public with love and confidentiality
At today’s event, long-serving WIC employees were recognized for their dedication, and a visual tribute—a teddy bear structure representing the 46,869 participants helped in 2024 —highlighted the scope of WIC’s reach. Governor Cox also declared September 19 at Women Infants and Children’s day in Utah.
Those eligible for WIC services can make an appointment at their local WIC clinic. WIC provides a debit-like card for participants to buy nutritious foods at more than 270 authorized grocery stores statewide as well as providing valuable support and services. Utah families who may benefit from WIC services can easily find out if they qualify by visiting the WIC website and using the eligibility calculator.
For more information, visit https://wic.utah.gov/.