New WIC office opens in American Fork to help families

AMERICAN FORK — A celebration Tuesday marked the opening of a government clinic for families who need a little help.

The event was at the new facility in American Fork that serves clients in the Women, Infants and Children program, a federally funded initiative that provides women with nutrition counseling, breast-feeding instruction, prenatal classes and food vouchers.

The new clinic at 599 S. 500 East has six examination rooms which clinic workers said is an improvement over the three small, makeshift exam rooms in the previous location in northeast American Fork.

"We were pretty maxed out at the other location," said clinic director Jennifer Hopkins, a registered dietician. "This has a lot more room for the clients. We were open every day, now here we're open three days a week, but we can serve double the amount of clients in a day's time."

The clinic, which serves the area in Utah County north of Orem, has about 2,500 clients. Countywide, there are about 15,000 people served by one of the program's four clinics on an annual budget of about $8 million. The clinics are in Provo, Orem, American Fork and Payson.

More than $7 million of that goes directly to program participants in the form of food vouchers.

All WIC funds are provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The new facility has been in operation since early December but was operating on folding tables and chairs for a short while because of a delay in obtaining the office furniture. Now, everything is in place, Hopkins said.

"It's been very positive," she said. "They've been really happy with the openness of the clinic and the cleanliness, and how nice it is to come to a place that is friendly to children and comfortable."

The clinic, which has seven staffers, can serve up to 50 families a day, Hopkins said.

Program applicants undergo a general health screening. Height and weight measurements are noted. A blood test also is taken to check for anemia.

To be eligible an applicant must be pregnant, nursing or have children under the age of 5. They also must meet the program's income guidelines.

When admitted, clients take a nutrition training course before obtaining the food vouchers, which can only be used on designated foods with high nutritional values, such as formula, iron-fortified cereals and beans.