Episode 134: Innovative Feeding Supports for Pregnant Women and Their Children
About the Podcast
Rose Douglass is the Deputy Director of the WIC Program for the State of Indiana. WIC is a supplemental nutrition grant program for women, infants and children. You won’t want to miss her journey from WIC participant to the Director. Her story shapes her leadership, and it’s a beautiful thing.
About Rose Douglass
Rose Douglass is the Deputy Director of the WIC Program for the State of Indiana. She has over 10 years of experience in state and municipal government, human services, and client-centered practice in the child welfare, food security, public health, and government management arenas. Rose holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in Communication Studies, a master’s degree from Indiana University in Public Management and Policy Analysis, and will be beginning her doctoral studies next year in Health Communication. Rose has a passion for human lactation, food and nutrition, and equity and inclusion. She currently lives in Indianapolis with her spouse, Daniel, and their two children, Olive and Eloise. Rose enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and baking, and is training for her third half marathon next month.
Discussion Takeaways
- Rose has worked in multiple positions throughout the Indiana’s State Government. She started as the WIC Commodities Manager where she looked over the state’s government food supports like the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Senior Farmers Market Program (SFSP). Then, she moved onto Business and Community Partnership Coordinator who managed state budgets and contracts and provided technical assistance for local agencies. Now, as Deputy Director, she oversees the statewide operations.
- WIC is a supplemental nutrition grant program for women, infants and children. Each year, the US Department of Agriculture allocates a certain amount of funding to it. It’s not an entitlement program with promised amount of money provided every year and adjustments in funding based on program utilization rates.
- WIC families are not challenged. They’re resilient. They shouldn’t need to be protected. They should be celebrated. We should all become a fiber of the rich tapestry of their lives and let them become one in
- During the formula shortage, Indiana WIC sponsored human milk drives. They collaborated with the milk bank of Indiana and called their events, “Every Ounce Counts”. So far, they’ve provided 7,300 ounces milk in three drives, enough for just under 22,000 first feedings at the NICU.
- So to qualify to partake in the human milk drive, you’d have to be screened just as you would during a blood draw, for HIV, Aids, Hepatitis and minor viruses. Once the screen comes back, the milk bank can start accepting milk. It must be packaged appropriately, frozen and then it’s pasteurized. This milk is provided to hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Units.
- During the shortage in formula, milk banks provided “bridge milk” for those who reached a certain income guideline. This human milk supply allowed for people on WIC to receive breastmilk while another solution needed to be found, like the formula or re-lactation
- Cash value benefits for fresh fruits and vegetables. Historically, the benefit was set at $7 for children and $9 for pregnant and postpartum women/month. During the pandemic and until the end of this year, $29 was provided to children, $44 for pregnancy, and $49 for partially or fully breastfeeding recipients. This was an incredibly successful program. There is an 80% redemption rate!
- WIC requires recipients to qualify for the program based on income and their nutritional risk. Here are some examples the various risks: Underweight; Overweight; Low Birth Weight; Large/Small for Gestational Age; Hyperemesis Gravidarum; Gestational Diabetes; Short Interpregnancy Interval; Pregnant and Currently Breastfeeding; Hypertension; Food Allergies; Lactose Intolerance; Eating Disorders, Depression, Alcohol and Substance Use; Oral Health Conditions; Failure to Meet Dietary Guidelines for Americans; Inappropriate Nutrition Practices for Women, Infants, or Children; Homelessness; Migrancy; and Foster Care.
#1 tip to improve access to healthy food
- We must separate what someone needs from who they are as a person. We wouldn’t call someone with cancer a “cancerous person”. So, what should we call those suffering from food insecurity? This experience should not define anyone.
Each week on the Food Dignity® Podcast, the Food Dignity® Movement's Clancy Harrison hosts a wide variety of hunger experts and other people making changes on the frontlines. Join us as we dive deep into conversations that will change the way you think about food insecurity.
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