Reducing WIC administrative burdens to promote health equity

This Viewpoint discusses barriers to Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participation for low-income and racial and ethnic minoritized families and outlines strategies that health care professionals and health systems can use to help families overcome these barriers.

Health care professionals and health systems can help boost program participation by building partnerships with local WIC agencies and advocating for upstream policy changes that reduce administrative burdens. In clinical settings, health care professionals, including pediatricians, family medicine specialists, and obstetricians, can provide WIC eligibility and enrollment information to Medicaid-insured and uninsured patients and consider providing families with support in the enrollment and recertification process.