[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 8692-8693] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING THE CONTRIBUTION OF WIC PROGRAMS ______ HON. CAROLYN MCCARTHY of new york in the house of representatives Wednesday, May 5, 1999 Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of WIC's 25th Anniversary and to commend WIC for their years of sterling health and nutrition service to the nation's low-income women, infants and children. In the last 25 years, WIC has dramatically improved the nutrition and health of millions of Americans. WIC provides quality education and services to over 7.4 million pregnant women, new mothers, infants and preschool children through 10,000 clinics nationwide. It serves as a short-term intervention program designed to influence lifetime nutrition and health behaviors in a targeted, high-risk population. WIC provides quality education and services to over 7.4 million pregnant women, new mothers, infants and preschool children through 10,000 clinics nationwide. As a nurse, I understand the importance of preventative care. Whether we are talking about health care, education or crime, services that focus on preventative care save money in the long run. That is why the WIC program is so important--it just makes sense. Studies have shown that pregnant women who participate in WIC have longer pregnancies leading to fewer premature births, have fewer low and very low birth weight babies, experience fewer fetal and infant deaths, and seek prenatal care earlier in pregnancy. WIC helps to assure normal childhood growth, [[Page 8693]] reduces early childhood anemia, increases immunization rates, improves access to pediatric health care, and readies children to learn. Every dollar spent on pregnant women in WIC produces $1.92 to $4.21 in Medicaid savings for newborns and their mothers. Consider the following: it costs $22,000 per pound to raise a low (less than 5.5 pounds) or very law (less than 3.25 pounds) birth weight infant to normal weight. It costs $40 per pound to provide WIC prenatal benefits. Furthermore, Medicaid costs were reduced on average $12,000 to $15,000 per infant for every very low birth weight birth prevented. These statistics illustrate that WIC works. By providing short-term preventative services, WIC improves the health and quality of life for millions of low-income women and children while at the same time saving the federal government money. We need to ensure that WIC continues to provide these important services--I know that I will continue to fight for funding for this important program. Again, I want to congratulate WIC on their 25th anniversary and I urge them to keep up the good work. ____________________