Health Partners
This section of our website provides resources to our health partners in the medical profession to help improve the lives of women and children. Here you’ll find information on classes, breastfeeding services, nutrition and referrals.
WIC’s health and nutrition program has a long-standing record of improving health outcomes of women, infants and children who are at risk for nutrition-related illness.
Studies show pregnant women who participate in WIC have fewer premature births, fewer low birth weight babies, experience fewer fetal and infant deaths, seek prenatal care earlier in pregnancy, and consume more key nutrients like iron, protein, calcium, and Vitamins A and C. It has been estimated that for each dollar spent on WIC for prenatal education, $3.50 is saved in Medicaid and disability payments and in medical-care costs paid by private health-care providers.
Check out our section on Partner Resources for more information on how to access these and other benefits available to you through Texas WIC.
WIC Provides Your Patients:
WIC Offers Partners:
Formula Changes are Coming to Texas WIC (Updated 1/23/2023)
WIC programs must have contracts for milk-based and soy-based infant formulas.
Babies who use standard formula can be issued:
- Enfamil Infant
- Enfamil Gentlease
- Enfamil A.R.
- Enfamil Reguline
- Similac Soy Isomil
Health Partners are strongly encouraged to support WIC participants in using contract formula products if they are medically appropriate and tolerated by the child.
Mead Johnson, the makers of Enfamil, has been working to increase the supply of Enfamil products in Texas so that they will be available for WIC families. Consistent with USDA guidance, Texas WIC will continue to offer temporary alternative options through the end of February. It is very likely that February will be the last month that WIC clients will be able to redeem alternative formula brand options for standard infant formula. When alternative formula brand options are no longer available, planned for March 1, WIC clients will be transitioned back to only receive the contract milk based and soy based infant formulas listed above. Large can options of the contract formulas will continue to be available through March 31, when standard can sizes are unavailable.
Through the end of February, if Enfamil Infant, Enfamil Gentlease or Similac Soy Isomil powdered formulas are not available at the store, alternative options and sizes are available.
If Enfamil Reguline or Enfamil A.R. is not available at the store, your patients can contact their WIC office to discuss formula options. These formulas. can be issued in larger container sizes. However, your patients may seek your guidance for alternative formulas if Enfamil A.R. or Enfamil Reguline are not available.
Resources for Health Partners:
- Information for WIC clients and a list of alternative formula brand options
- More information about Texas WIC formulas
- Texas WIC Medical Request for Therapeutic Formula Form
- Help your patients adjust to a new formula
Therapeutic Formulas
Available brands of therapeutic formulas are not impacted by the contract change. Texas WIC continues to have a wide variety of therapeutic formulas available with a completed medical request. For more information on formulas available through the Texas WIC program, please visit our formulary.
Examples of available therapeutic formulas with a medical request include:
Preterm formulas and Human Milk Fortifiers
- Enfamil Human Milk Fortifier PWD or Acidified Liquid – Mead Johnson
- Similac Human Milk Fortifier Concentrated Liquid- Abbott Laboratories
- Similac Human Milk Fortifier Hydrolyzed Protein Concentrated Liquid - Abbott Laboratories
- Enfamil Premature 24 w/ Iron – Mead Johnson
- Enfamil Premature High Protein 24 w/ Iron – Mead Johnson
- Enfamil Premature 30– Mead Johnson
- Similac Special Care 20 w/Iron - Abbott Laboratories
- Similac Special Care 24 w/Iron - Abbott Laboratories
- Similac Special Care 24 High Protein - Abbott Laboratories
- Similac Special Care 30 - Abbott Laboratories
Premature transitional formulas
- Neosure 22kcal/oz - Abbott Laboratories
- Enfamil Enfacare 22kcal/oz – Mead Johnson
Protein Hydrolysate Hypoallergenic formulas
- Alimentum - Abbott Laboratories
- Extensive HA- Gerber
- Nutramigen – Mead Johnson
- Generic Hypoallergenic- Perrigo
- Pregestimil 24 – Mead Johnson
- Pregestimil DHA/ARA – Mead Johnson
Elemental/Amino Acid Based formulas
- Alfamino Infant - Nestle
- Elecare DHA/ARA - Abbott Laboratories
- Neocate w/DHA/ARA - Nutricia
- PurAmino – Mead Johnson
- Neocate Syneo- Nutricia
Additional formula products such as toddler formulas, increased calorie supplements and metabolic formulas are also available.
Lyons Magnus issues voluntary recall of Kate Farms products and Pediasure Harvest
A voluntary recall was issued on August 10th by the manufacturer Lyons Magnus due to concern over potential bacterial contamination of Kate Farms formula and Pediasure Harvest with the organisms Cronobacter sakazakii and Clostridium botulinum.
These are specialized formulas that are available through WIC only with a prescription. Patients with recalled formula should contact their WIC clinic for replacement. Do not use recalled formula.
If a patient would like to switch formulas, they will need an updated medical request form from the healthcare provider prior to being issued an alternative by WIC.
The following formulas may be an alternative option if needed:
- Compleat Pediatric
- Compleat Pediatric Peptide 1.5
- **Compleat Pediatric Organic Blends
- **Nourish
- **Nourish Peptide
**These are thicker blenderized formulas, usually used for tube feedings. These may not be appropriate alternatives in all cases.
For a list of Kate Farms products impacted visit www.myproductinformation.com.
For a list of Pedisure Harvest products impacted check the lot numbers here.
Abbott’s Formula Recall Information for Health Care Providers
Texas WIC is actively working with the USDA and Abbott, the makers of Similac, on the impact of the Abbott formula recall to WIC families. WIC sent text messages Wednesday, February 23 to clients that may be impacted by the recall.
For Similac Advance, Similac Total Comfort, Similac Sensitive and Similac for Spit-Up, WIC has temporarily added more options so parents can find a formula at the store that will meet their babies’ needs without updating their cards.
For Similac PM 60/40, Alimentum, EleCare and EleCare Jr., clients have been instructed to contact their healthcare provider to ask for a new prescription. Since these are highly specialized formulas, a healthcare provider must be consulted to make sure that the formula will meet the infant’s medical needs.
Contact Us
For more information about the WIC program call 800-942-3678 or email WICG[email protected].