Administered by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, WIC is a nutrition program that provides healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to healthcare and other services to families that meet the income qualification. There are 90 WIC state agencies that administer the program and guide the 1,900 local agencies in 10,000 clinic sites. While “breastfeeding support” is a federally required WIC deliverable, not all local WIC programs provide access to an IBCLC, either on staff or by referral. Michigan is a good example of how IBCLCs can be integrated into the WIC program. Michigan requires each local agency to have an IBCLC to serve as the lead breastfeeding technical support expert (https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/1_07_LA_Staffing_02-25-14_448720_7.pdf).
Advocacy opportunity: Contact your state WIC breastfeeding coordinator and discuss the advisability of having an IBCLC on staff or available to WIC breastfeeding families whose issue or problem need clinical evaluation and management—which is beyond the breastfeeding education and support that WIC peer counselors provide.