Santa Barbara County WIC Program Celebrates 50 Years

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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC). WIC is a federally funded program that provides millions of families across the country with healthy food, nutrition education, breast and chest feeding support, health screenings, and other important resources.

Since 1975, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department’s Nutrition Services/WIC has been an essential service to families throughout the county. In addition to women, infants and children served in Santa Barbara County WIC clinics, the program supports dads, grandparents, foster parents or legal guardians that have kids younger than 5 years old. The program offers health and nutrition support through personal counseling and group education.

“WIC is the nation’s first Food as Medicine program. For 50 years, WIC has evolved to become a vital pillar of public health for nutritionally at-risk mothers, infants and children.

In 2023, Santa Barbara County PHD WIC assisted 24,620 unique individuals and in 2021, 5,489 births (47.9%) were on WIC at time of birth. I have witnessed our WIC program reliably support the health and nutrition of many families in Santa Barbara County and I’m so honored to be leading a great group of dedicated staff that positively changes the lives of so many in need,” said Nutrition Services Program Director Susan Liles.

The Santa Barbara County WIC program is known for its innovative and customer-focused staff, many of whom are bilingual or trilingual (Mixteco, Spanish, and English).

With the program’s high number of International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) and ground-breaking Breastfeeding Peer Counselor two-way texting system, our Santa Barbara County WIC program has been internationally recognized with an IBCLC Care Award in 2024. The IBCLC Care Award recognizes community-based facilities that demonstrate commitment to promoting, protecting, and supporting breastfeeding and the lactation consultant profession.

WIC has been at the center of positive public health outcomes for 5 decades. California WIC serves approximately 1 million participants statewide each month. Approximately 60% of all California resident births in a given year are eligible for the WIC Program. To be eligible, applicants’ annual household income must fall at or below 185 percent of the U.S. Poverty Income Guidelines (currently $55,500 annually for a family of four) and deemed to have a nutritional risk.

The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department’s Nutrition Services/WIC Program remains committed to its mission of improving the health and nutrition of women, infants, and children. We look forward to continuing our legacy of support and innovation for many years to come.

Follow the Nutrition Services/WIC program on Instagram @sbcnutritionservices and Facebook – SBC Nutrition Services.