Montgomery County Breaks Ground On WIC Clinic Addition

Military Families are One-Third of County’s WIC Clients

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Health Commissioner Susan R. Cooper today joined other local and state officials to break ground on an addition to the Montgomery County Health Department facility in Clarksville. The new 8,000 square foot wing will house an expanded clinic space for the Women, Infants and Children program.

“Thousands of mothers and children in Montgomery County now have food security as a result of participation in the WIC program,” said Cooper. “The addition to the clinic will allow us to better provide WIC and other health services such as nutrition education to these families in a confidential, accessible and safe environment.”

Montgomery County has Tennessee’s largest rural WIC clinic, which has served more than 9,800 unique patients in the past year. The caseload has grown by 38 percent since it became a stand-alone WIC clinic in 1991. Montgomery County’s WIC program also provides support for the nearby Army post of Fort Campbell, which is the home of the largest United States Army military combat unit and Special Forces. Approximately 31 percent of the WIC participants in Montgomery County are military families.

The WIC program also provides an important financial benefit to the community. More than $3.4 million in WIC vouchers have been redeemed in Montgomery County during the past 12 months. On average, more than $288,000 in WIC vouchers are redeemed in Montgomery County every month.

This renovation project at the Montgomery County Health Department is the result of collaboration among federal, state, county and local agencies. Montgomery County received $2.1 million in special needs funding from the United States Department of Agriculture in 2010 to improve services to WIC clients. The Montgomery County government contributed land for the expansion project.

The WIC Special Supplemental Nutrition Program is a federal program designed to provide supplemental food to low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children until the age of five. WIC in Tennessee is administered by the Department of Health. Learn more about the program online at http://health.state.tn.us/wic/index.htm.