Summit County health officials told the Board of Health that the county will prepare to use restricted local funds and a grocery-store vouchering system to ensure enrolled WIC participants continue to receive basic food needs if state funding runs out.

At the meeting the health department’s director described the risk: the federal continuing resolution has partially funded SNAP but left uncertainty for other programs, and the state has told local departments it can temporarily continue WIC but those state funds may be exhausted. The director said the department has been negotiating with the county CFO and county council and will tap restricted-use county funds if the state notifies local departments that WIC benefits will be cut.

Why it matters: WIC provides monthly food benefits to eligible families, and local officials said abrupt disruption in benefits could leave households without formula or other staples. The department presented a voucher model it plans to implement quickly so that enrolled participants can continue to obtain essentials even if state payments stop.

How the voucher system would work: Jenny Bateman, WIC director (named in the meeting), and department staff explained they will simplify the WIC food plan and issue vendor-specific vouchers redeemable only for designated essential items (formula, milk, eggs, bread, selected proteins). Grocery partners agreed to a unique-identifier voucher system and dedicated in-store tablets for voucher redemption so purchases can be scanned and validated. The department estimated the current benefit level used for planning is about $71 per participant per month (state figure cited by staff).

Staff emphasized limits and privacy: the department said the emergency voucher system will be available to current WIC participants and that, if state funding ends, the program will not enroll new clients until the funding situation is resolved. Communications about enrollment limitations and voucher pick-up will be handled directly with WIC clients using the program’s text-message system rather than a broad public notice to protect client privacy.

Operational and staffing notes: officials said the vouchering approach depends on willing grocery vendors; some corporate chains declined to participate, so initial vendor coverage is regional. The department also plans to redeploy additional health-department staff to support voucher issuance and redemption when the program goes live.

Community support and donations: county staff are also coordinating donation boxes at county services buildings and encouraging community donations to local food pantries to help mitigate gaps. The department’s newsletter reaches more than 20,000 subscribers and will be used to steer public donation efforts to local food pantries and partner organizations.

Staff timeline: the department said it plans to be ready to launch the voucher program quickly if the state notifies local health departments that WIC funding will stop. A tentative operational go-live discussed in the meeting was mid-November if the state signals an end to funding; if federal or state funding is restored beforehand, the emergency voucher program would not be needed or would be scaled back.

Board discussion: members expressed support for protecting current WIC families and offered to amplify donation and outreach asks in the community. One board member asked whether the voucher list would be accepted outside the county; staff said some participants historically used vouchers at participating markets outside the county when needed.

What the board directed: the department requested a letter of support from the Board of Health to include with an upcoming accreditation application; board members agreed to discuss and sign that item in January.