Nutrition service remains at clinic

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Women, Infant and Children Supplemental Nutrition Services will continue at the Waimanalo Health Clinic, officials at the clinic announced yesterday.

The federal program provides food coupons and certificates for families with children under 5 and for pregnant and breast-feeding women. A dispute between the clinic and the state Department of Health over the amount of office space needed to run the program put the Waimanalo WIC contract in jeopardy, said Greig Gaspar, marketing specialist for the clinic.

"At one point, we were considering not renewing," Gaspar said. "We were trying to work out a smaller space for them, and they were saying it couldn't be done."

The WIC program had been using an office that the clinic wanted to use to house WIC and three other programs, Gaspar said, but Health Department officials at first said that couldn't be done.

Eventually, Gaspar said, Health Department officials said WIC could have less space. Gaspar said the clinic needed space for "income-generating" programs, including a dental health service.

WIC, Gaspar said, provides income for the community through the food coupons and serves the nutritional needs of women and children who otherwise might not be able to afford proper food but provides no economic benefit for the clinic itself other than paying the salaries of the WIC coordinators and staff.

The $118,800-per-year, four-year contract will continue to serve nearly 1,000 clients in Waimanalo each month. If the client base grows larger, contract money will increase.

The food coupons generate more than $500,000 per year for Waimanalo stores used by WIC clients.

Waimanalo families interested in receiving WIC services should call Lisa Burns at 259-7948, ext. 143.

Reach Karen Blakeman at 535-2430 or at kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.