Welcome to the Health Care Provider Page!

This site provides information for physicians, nurses, dietitians and other health care providers. Partnerships with health care providers are critical to the success of Missouri WIC. You are a key partner in helping WIC participants make healthy choices.

How can health care providers help patients achieve positive health outcomes?

  • Make referrals to WIC routinely.
  • Tell your patients that WIC is a health and nutrition program.
  • Put a brochure in every new patient packet.
  • Mention WIC to everyone.
  • Encourage them to call their WIC local agency or call 1-800-TEL-LINK (1-800-835-5465).
  • Recommend breastfeeding to prenatal clients.
  • Refer patients with breastfeeding problems to WIC for help.

Food package

WIC food packages provide supplemental nutrition for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, as well as infants and children up to age five who are at nutritional risk. These food packages, which include fruit, vegetables and whole grains, along with nutrition education, improve dietary quality and habits.

WIC food packages also promote and support the establishment of successful, long-term breastfeeding. They provide WIC participants with a wider variety of food including fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

The USDA WIC Food Packages-Regulatory Requirements for WIC-eligible Foods provides further information on each allowed food group.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding and nutrition education are a major focus for Missouri WIC. The program commits a significant amount of resources to promoting and supporting these goals. Missouri WIC supports breastfeeding as the preferred method for infant feeding. WIC peer counselors are on call to answer participants' questions about breastfeeding. WIC counseling staff can provide information about pumping, latch, positioning, returning to work or school and other breastfeeding topics.

These pages offer more information about breastfeeding:

Formula

WIC provides contract formulas as part of a federally mandated cost containment system agreement. In accordance with federal regulations, WIC-eligible formulas are mainly issued in powder form. Current contract formulas provided by Missouri WIC are:

  • Similac Advance.
  • Similac Sensitive.
  • Similac Total Comfort.
  • Similac Soy Isomil.

Missouri WIC also provides non-contract standard infant formula, exempt infant formula and WIC-eligible nutritionals to participants with a qualifying condition. These formulas require completion of a Medical Documentation Form (WIC-27) by a health care provider.

  • An exempt formula is intended for use by infants who have inborn errors of metabolism, low birth weight or unusual medical or dietary needs.
  • A WIC-eligible nutritional product (medical food) is specifically designed for the dietary management of a disease with unique nutritional requirements that cannot be fulfilled by a regular diet alone. This product is intended for women and children participants.

The MO WIC Approved Formulas and WIC-Eligible Nutritionals lists all formulas currently provided by Missouri WIC.

Medical Documentation Form (WIC-27)

The Medical Documentation Form (WIC-27) is required to prescribe non-contract standard infant formula, exempt infant formula and WIC-eligible nutritionals. A health care provider's prescription is not an allowable substitution. A qualifying condition must be present for approval.

Please view the MO WIC Approved Formulas and WIC-Eligible Nutritionals and then proceed to complete the WIC-27. Contact your WIC local agency if you have specific questions about completing a WIC-27.

The completed WIC-27 should be sent to the WIC local agency by one of the ways listed below.

  • Faxed.
  • Hand-delivered by the WIC participant.
  • Email or other secured electronic method.

A verbal order by telephone may be approved by an authorized WIC local agency staff member to issue one month of benefits; however, the signed and completed WIC-27 must be received by the local agency within 1-2 weeks before additional benefits may be issued.

A physician stamp may not be used in place of a signature.

WIC Referral Form (WIC-61)

To be eligible for WIC services, WIC participants must provide proof of pregnancy (if applicable), height and weight measurements and blood work.

This information is sometimes requested from health care providers in order to encourage referrals to health care services. In many cases, height, weight and hemoglobin screening can also be done at the WIC clinic during certification.

Healthcare providers, social service programs and WIC local agency staff can use the WIC Referral Form to refer WIC participants and patients to needed services.

Frequently asked questions