The state Department of Health, which manages the Women, Infants and Children Program, announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had received enough funding to continue the WIC program for another month, despite the fact that the USDA was one of the affected agencies. Dr. Thomas Dobbs said that the USDA’s funding flexibility means that our services to pregnant mothers and their children will not be affected by the shutdown. WIC Program provides supplemental nutrition for women who are pregnant, nursing, or postpartum, as well as children and infants under five years old. WIC has 95 distribution centers and 95,000 clients who are served monthly across the state. The Department of Health would have cut services in February if the USDA hadn’t reached a funding agreement. Services for March may be affected if the shutdown continues into February. “Of course, we will continue monitoring the situation and plan for further delays in financing if necessary.”_x000D