File. Wood County Health Commissioner Ben Robison adjusts his face mask while talking to the county commissioners about the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
J.D. Pooley | Sentinel-Tribune
The Wood County Board of Health will be asking for a share of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funds to house its Women’s, Infants and Children’s program.
“We’re talking about relocating our WIC program. Any strategy we take will require an expenditure of funds to create a space,” said Ben Robison, Wood County health commissioner, at the March health board meeting.
One idea is to make use of the courtyard space at the health center. Another is to look at a place where there are offices.
“The thing that WIC needs is offices because they have private consultations,” Robison said. “We couldn’t just put them in cubicle space. We’ve got to make sure there’s privacy.”
The WIC program is currently located in the health center, which will be renovated in the next three years.
“As the health center renovation plan is executed, we’ll need to have a place for them to be,” Robison said. “This is all part of one strategy. We want to make sure the timeline is aligned —move WIC, expand the health center.”
He doesn’t have a specific amount that he’s going to request from the Wood County commissioners. The county has $25 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“At this point, I’m going to just lay out what some options are, to see what the interest might be” Robison said.
WIC helps income eligible pregnant and breastfeeding women, women who recently had a baby, infants, and children up to 5 years of age who are at health risk due to inadequate nutrition.
At the July board of health meeting, members approved using $517,105 in federal funds for health center construction and capital improvements.
The board has a three-year window to use the monies.
