Fresh Choices in WIC

1
Fresh Choices in WIC New WIC Food Packages Coming
August 3, 2009
2
Goals of Fresh Choices project

• Provide foods to WIC families that better meet
  the dietary requirements, more closely match key
  nutrition education messages, and are culturally
  acceptable by a greater number of participants.
• Successfully implement the new food packages by
  August 3, 2009.

3
Successful implementation means the right people
have the right info at the right time

• Who needs to know about Fresh Choices for
  implementation?
• All local agency staff
• Participants
• Vendors
• Medical providers
• Partners

4
How does Fresh Choices fit with our Nutrition
Education Plans?

• Current NE plan has activities related to the key
  nutrition messages and Fresh Choices.
• Reviewed food package changes to see which
  supported key nutrition messages.
• Emphasized the change for the better with Oregon
  WIC Healthy foods, healthy messages, healthy
  families

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Fresh Choices - Key Nutrition Messages

• For everyone
• Keys to healthy eating variety, balance and
  moderation.
• Serve low fat milk to adults and children over
  age 2.
• Make half your grains whole
• Vary your veggies and focus on fruit.

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Fresh Choices - Key Nutrition Messages

• For moms and infants
• Babies were born to be breastfed.
• The more breastmilk your baby gets, the healthier
  your baby will be. Babies fed breastmilk only are
  healthier than babies fed infant formula or a
  combination of formula and breastmilk.
• Feed baby only breastmilk or formula for the 1st
  6 months of life.
• When your baby is ready for solid foods,
  introduce one new food at a time with a spoon.

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Areas of Training Focus

• Nutrition reasons for the food package changes
• Understanding the content of the new food
  packages
• Participant centered counseling on making the
  changes to the new food packages
• TWIST changes
• Use of the new vouchers and food list

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The 3 phases of implementation

• Information
• Help people understand the changes that are
  coming
• Provide basic information
• Preparation
• Provide step by step actions to get ready for the
  change
• Implementation
• Carry out the changes needed

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Information for staff and participants

• State provided staff in-service materials and
  nutrition education materials related to the key
  nutrition messages
• Changing to low fat milk
• Using whole grains
• Supporting the breastfeeding dyad
• Plan Nutrition education activities to help
  participants begin to make changes now, before
  the food packages changes occur.

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Fresh Choices Staff, Vendor Participant
Education
09
08
NOV
DEC
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
DEC
JUL
SEP
OCT
NOV
SEP
OCT
JAN
JUN
AUG
Providing Fresh Choices Information proposed time
line
Develop activity content and materials
Staff in-services on Lowfat milk, Infant and BF
messages
Ship Inservice and NE Materials
Participant NE on Lowfat milk
Ship Sesame Street materials
Participant NE on Key Nutrition Messages
relating to Infants BF
Ship Inservice and NE materials
Staff in-services on whole grains
Participant NE on Whole grains
Fresh Choices Implementation Begins 8/1
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Staff Preparation

• Annual NE plan (FY08-09, FY09-10) based on
  Fresh Choices and Oregon WIC Listens
• Training for RDs on Medical Documentation
• Staff in-service on Medical Documentation
  requirements and providing anticipatory guidance
  on Fresh Choices
• Computer based training for TWIST changes

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Staff Preparation (cont.)

• Statewide meeting June or July focused only on
  Fresh Choices
• Specifics of and assigning new food packages
• Medical documentation requirements
• Introduce Food Package Assignment training module
• Development/completion of NE plan activities
  (FY09-10)
• Breastfeeding and infant feeding messages

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Clinic Preparation

• Plan for conversion
• Vouchers printed through July will be the old
  food packages, including those with FDTU after
  August 1.
• All vouchers printed after August 1 will be the
  new food packages.
• Develop a plan for handling requests to change
  old package vouchers for new package vouchers.

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Clinic Preparation

• Plan for scheduling changes needed during
  implementation (Aug. 3 November)
• Issuance of new food packages will require the
  participant to select a new food package and
  educating them on the specifics of the new set of
  vouchers
• This will require time during every client
  contact certifications, individual or group
  nutrition education

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Coordinator Preparation

• Fresh Choices updates at future OWCA meetings
• January OWCA meeting video conference focused
  on Fresh Choices
• April OWCA meeting
• Stay tuned for more information from the state
  and your nutrition consultant
• Talk with other agencies in your cohort

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Participant Preparation

• Anticipatory Guidance May through July
• Plan time to talk with participants about
  anticipated changes
• State provided talking points, flyers, posters
• Specific info for certain participants
• Needing medical documentation
• Infant foods
• Partially breastfed infants

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Partner/Provider/Vendor Preparation

• State will provide outreach and education to
  major/statewide partners
• Plan for outreach to local partners
• State provided outreach materials PowerPoint
  presentations, flyers
• State will provide specific information to
  medical providers on the new documentation
  requirements
• State provided Fresh Choices training for all
  vendors

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Fresh Choices Staff, Vendor Participant
Education
09
08
NOV
DEC
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
DEC
JUL
SEP
OCT
NOV
SEP
OCT
JAN
JUN
AUG
Proposed Fresh Choices Preparation Time Line
Fresh Choices Implementation Begins 8/1 Old food
packages no longer available in TWIST. Any
vouchers printed will be new food packages.
Develop scheduling plan for implementation
Staff trained on FP selection, TWIST,
participant NE on Fresh Choices
LAs Develop Annual NE Plan
Statewide meeting
Staff in-service on Medical Documentation and
anticipatory guidance
RD Training on Medical Documentation
Participant Anticipatory Guidance on new FP
Farmer Market Ed
Vendors Trained on new voucher and Fruit and
Veggie Voucher procedures
Partner Outreach and Education
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Implementation

• August 1 through November
• Individual and group NE focused on the new food
  packages
• Use Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life as
  part of this NE e.g. new fruit and veggie
  voucher
• Participants issued new food packages only
• All voided vouchers will be replaced with new
  food package

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Fresh Choices Staff, Vendor Participant
Education
09
08
NOV
DEC
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
DEC
JUL
SEP
OCT
NOV
SEP
OCT
JAN
JUN
AUG
Fresh Choices Implementation Time Line
Fresh Choices Implementation Begins 8/1 Old food
packages no longer available in TWIST. Any
vouchers printed will be new food packages.
Participant individual and Group NE on new food
packages
All Participants select new food packages at
cert and NE appointments
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Fresh Choices Staff, Vendor Participant
Education
09
08
NOV
DEC
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
DEC
JUL
SEP
OCT
NOV
SEP
OCT
JAN
JUN
AUG
Putting it all together
Staff in-services on Lowfat milk, Infant and BF
messages
Ship Inservice and NE Materials
Participant NE on Lowfat milk
Fresh Choices Implementation Begins 8/1 Old food
packages no longer available in TWIST. Any
vouchers printed will be new food packages.
Ship Sesame Street materials
Participant NE on key nutrition
messages relating to Infants BF
Ship Inservice and NE materials
Participant NE on Whole grains
Staff in-services on whole grains
Farmer Market Ed
LAs Develop Annual NE Plan
Staff trained on FP selection, TWIST, ppt NE on
Fresh Choices
Participant individual and Group NE on new food
packages
Develop scheduling plan for implementation
All Participants select new food packages at
cert and NE appointments
Statewide meeting
Staff in-service on Medical Documentation and
anticipatory guidance
RD Training on Medical Documentation
Provide Anticipatory Guidance on new FP
Vendors Trained on new voucher and CVV procedures
Partner Outreach and Education
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Resources

• Fresh Choices page on the Oregon WIC website
• http//www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/wic/freshchoices.shtm
  l
• PowerPoint presentations
• Status reports
• Partner handouts
• Materials as developed

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What do people need to know about Fresh Choices?
When do they need to know?

• What do they need to know now?
• What do they need to know before implementation?
• What do they need to be able to do when
  issuing/issued the new food packages?

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Information

• What are you doing now to help staff understand
  the changes that are coming?
• What information can the state provide that will
  help staff understand what to expect?
• What are you telling participants?
• What related nutrition education are you doing?
• What resources can you share?

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We need your help!

• Volunteers to help us develop materials that will
  work best for you
• Work groups to work closely with us over the next
  6-9 months on Fresh Choices implementation
• Nutrition Education (participant materials and NE
  plan development)
• Staff Training (in-services, statewide meeting)
• Medical documentation (LARD)
• Breastfeeding messages

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Contact us

• Staff training Kim McGee 971-673-0049
  kimberly.o.mcgee_at_state.or.us
• Nutrition education Sara Sloan
• 971-673-0043 sara.e.sloan_at_state.or.us
• Medical documentation Cheryl Alto
• 971-673-0057 cheryl.l.alto_at_state.or.us
• Breastfeeding messages Kelly Sibley
• 971-673-0046 kelly.e.sibley_at_state.or.us