As of this month, recipients of WIC — the food benefits program for Women, Infants and Children — will have a new site to visit for their health screenings, nutrition education and WIC cards.
The city Health Department announced Friday it has moved the program office to the Ronald R. Arias Health Equity Center (6335 Myrtle Ave.) at Houghton Park in North Long Beach.
The move was initiated on Jan. 12 and will finish by Jan. 31. Afterwards, the previous WIC office at 5166 Atlantic Avenue will close permanently.
City officials say the new location, about 1.5 miles to the north, will better serve patrons in North Long Beach while also saving the department money on rent. Its operations will also now neighbor the city’s programming offices for youth development, violence intervention, anti-recidivism, anti-human trafficking and child and family counseling.
“Though we are grant-funded, the decision was based on an assessment of how the space was being utilized, as well as cost savings to use the funds and keep our personnel allocation more robust,” a spokesperson said.
For those who use the facility, services will not change. Operating hours will remain Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and previously scheduled appointments will be honored.
As of November, more than 13,400 Long Beach residents are enrolled in WIC — down from about 24,450 in 2019. More than 260,000 people in Los Angeles County are enrolled in the program.
As a prevention program, WIC has repeatedly demonstrated that for every $1 it spends, down the line it saves $2.48 in Medi-Cal or Medicaid expenses.
For more information about the WIC program or to apply for services, call 562-570-3300 or click here.