JUNE 29 2021
House Approps to Consider WIC Enhancements

Last week, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee approved its fiscal year 2022 bill, including enhancements to WIC benefits and extension of the CVB increase through September 2022. The bill is scheduled to be heard by the full House Appropriations Committee tomorrow. 
Senators Call for FDA Action Heavy Metals in Baby Food
A group of Democratic senators led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar is calling on the FDA to step up efforts to eliminate toxic heavy metals that have been reported in some baby foods.
CA Extends Eviction Moratorium
Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers agreed last week to extend CA's eviction moratorium and increase payments for unpaid rent. Gov. Newsom signed legislation last year banning evictions for renters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Protections were set to expire June 30th, but now the moratorium will last through September 30th. If renters qualify for assistance, the state will now cover all unpaid rent, for up to 15 months.
SNAP Participants Struggle to Access Food

USDA released a study reporting that 88 percent of people receiving SNAP struggle to access healthy food. Overall, the most common barrier at 61 percent of participants was the affordability of foods that are part of a healthy diet. Affordability and lack of cooking equipment or storage were associated with household food insecurity.
CA Legislative Leaders and Gov. Reach Budget Deal

California lawmakers approved a $262.6 billion operating budget yesterday. The budget represents an agreement between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state's top legislative leadership. Included in the new budget deal: expansion of Medi-Cal to all eligible California residents age 50+, regardless of immigration status; significant expansion of pre-K programs; free breakfast and lunch for all public school students. CWA was also able to secure greater flexibilities within WIC contracts for local WIC agencies through the budget process.
Kicking Off WIC Works Webinars!

We are thrilled to have Dr. Zea Malawa as our guest speaker for the first WIC Works Webinar of the summer. Please join us to listen and discuss how the Pregnancy Basic Income pilot has supported pregnant WIC mothers in San Francisco through the efforts of San Francisco WIC and the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Dr. Malawa will share her insights and experiences of getting the pilot programs into the upcoming state budget and implementation during this exciting 75-minute webinar event! Stay tuned for registration details!
Call for WIC Watch Stories!

Twice a year, CWA publishes the WIC Watch - a magazine for WIC staff, partner organizations, and any folks interested in all things WIC! We welcome your story submissions for our fall issue, the deadline is September 6th.
WIC Worksite Wellness Updates!

If you need a mid-week reset, join us from 12:15-1:00pm, Wednesday 6/30, to do some live yoga with Thuy Do, certified yoga instructor, and a new member of the CWA staff. Thuy is facilitating a yoga flow session and is excited to teach you some moves you can do at the office, on the road, or at home. Register in advance for this event, or join us at 12:15pm, Wed. June 30 by clicking here. See the newsletter for a list of additional dates. If you cannot make it, the session will be recorded and up on our website soon.

Please check out the upcoming Wellness Wednesday schedule for July, which will be focused on Ergonomics, and please consider signing up to host a WIC Wellness Wednesday in the future. We love learning from our peers, and would welcome any number of topics, from journaling, art, and mindfulness techniques, to exercise and cooking, we are open to your ideas! Check out the upcoming schedule to join, or sign up to host here.
Save the Date!
Dates are set for our annual CWA Fall Conference! Education Day will be Nov. 16, followed by two days with CDPH WIC on Nov 17-18. Our Fall Conference will be held virtually this year. Stay tuned for more details!
New WIC Blog
The Hopkins Participant Research Innovation Laboratory for Enhancing WIC Services (HPRIL) project has launched a blog that features the latest news about the project as well as case studies, tools, resources, and details about our five subgrantee projects. Check out the latest blog post, Using Google to Understand the WIC Customer Journey and Increase Online Engagement, describing how the Miami-Dade HPRIL team has leveraged Google Analytics to improve their integrated media marketing campaign. 

Hospitalizations for New Type 2 Diabetes in Children Rose During Pandemic
Hospitalizations for new-onset type 2 diabetes in children increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 compared with the same period in 2019, according to findings presented at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions.

Medicaid Enrollment Rose Dramatically Last Year
From February 2020 through January 2021, Medicaid enrollment climbed nationwide by 9.7 million, according to a report, based on the most recent available data, released last week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.


Food Insecurity Among Childcare Providers
Nearly 3 in 4 California childcare providers worried about running out of food for their families or their childcare in the last year and more than 50% actually did, according to a survey conducted by NourishCA in partnership with the California State University, Northridge and the Child Care Resource Center.

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Beat the Heat!
Heat is one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States, resulting in hundreds of fatalities each year. Heat can be very taxing on the body; check out the heat related illnesses that can occur with even a short period of exposure, and some tips for prevention and treatment!
Cal-Fresh: Better Food for Better Living
Food insecurity has been an even bigger problem than usual over the last year. WIC Can Help by encouraging WIC participants to apply for CalFresh benefits by referring them to the online and in-person resources, reassuring them that chidren born in the U.S. who qualify (based on family income) can get benefits, regardless of where their parents were born, understanding some myths & facts about CalFresh so that you can answer participants’ questions, and updating them on Pandemic EBT (or P-EBT), a federal program that gives eligible families food benefits in addition to free or reduced price meals at child care or school.
Support CWA online!
As a nonprofit membership organization, CWA relies on the contributions of many organizations and individuals to help us achieve our mission. There are many ways to give of your time, talents, or resources to help CWA promote healthy families, strong communities, and bright futures! We appreciate all forms of support and invite you to join us!
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