 Hello, everyone. I'm James Milan. Welcome to this episode of Talk of the Town. Today I am talking to my guest. I guess today really is Carla Sodeyama. And Carla is the director of the WIC program. Have you heard of the WIC program? WICWIC stands for Women, Infant and Children. And I bet you have maybe on the federal level heard something about today we're going to find out from Carla what is going on, what services are provided, what WIC does in and around Cambridge, Somerville and now Arlington as well. And specifically what services are going to be most pertinent for Arlington residents. So glad you've tuned in. And let me first say thank you very much Carla for being here. Thank you for inviting me. Yeah, we really do appreciate your taking the time to come in and just tell us stuff that we don't yet know. Especially because what the program is all about of course is helping segments of the population, providing assistance to people who we all agree and support the provision of services around. So we'll get to that in a minute. But let me ask you first, if you don't mind, just to share a little bit about your own history both with the program and you know in your work generally. How long have you been at this, what brought you to it, etc. So I started my background as a nutritionist. So I started as a nutritionist in 2001, November. And I stayed for that for about 12, 13 years. Then I stepped up as the supervisor of the nutrition service within the program, supervising our nutritionist and continue providing services in the community directly. In past 2021, March, that's when the opportunity came and I became the director of the Cambridge Summerville Week, which serves Arlington Watertown and Bedford included. Okay, so Arlington Watertown, Bedford as well as Cambridge in Summerville. That's our first piece of pertinent information that we now know. Thank you. So just tell us a little bit about, well what brought you to this work though? So well nutrition basically, but I feel like what made me stay all this years is my passion for breastfeeding. I'm a mother myself and even during my school years I worked at Milk Bank. That's what I liked the most besides all the other possibilities in my career. And I always had that in my mind, like really breastfeeding was my goal to pursue. And I'm fortunate enough that WIC includes both services in one. So this is definitely what made me stay. Another piece of that is when you become a mother, then you make the extra level connection with this part of my job and I really enjoy helping other moms to reach their goals. Wonderful. So let's talk a little bit about WIC the program itself because you've already alluded to a couple of the things breastfeeding and nutrition that are right at the heart of what it is that you do. But tell us about the program, including a little bit of historical background if you don't mind. So WIC started basically information from mom to mom, like really women helping other women with nutrition of their kids. And that's the whole idea, the information itself. So we are very a different program from SNAP and other resources because our intention is to inform about nutrition and breastfeeding for mothers, parents, caregivers, take their consideration into the information and use to best help in the nutrition of their family. We do provide a card with some foods, but it doesn't not provide what is necessary for the whole month. We are the supplemental program. We don't look at the whole family to see what they need, but we give a certain amount per family, per child or mother in the hopes that the nutrition and the breastfeeding information is used the most to help the whole family to reach their nutrition status like a better health and things like that. So besides nutrition information and support with breastfeeding, we do have four peer counselors in the community. So they help the mothers and connect mothers with international lactation consults in the case of high risk if they need more support. We, our main activity too is referrals for other services in the community. So since from the beginning of the program when a person applied to the end, so since we have to see income, if there is anything in the community that that family can apply to. So for example, she shows a bill, do you have discounts, you know, for peer assistance or gas or internet discount and all that is then right up front. And then from the nutrition side, you know, when they ask about foods and what's going on, then we do referrals to connect them with other resources of food too, seeing that hours might not be enough. So it's making sure the families know what is available in the community to better serve them. Right. And I guess what you're saying is that and it makes a lot of sense, of course, that in the provision of social services like this, you are coordinating with and also kind of working, collaborating with in a sense, a lot of other kinds of services providers who are dealing with other aspects of the lives or challenges of the people that you're working with. Yeah, we even use the same screening tools as the pediatrician in our areas too. So everyone is speaking the same language and we all, you know, screening everyone the same. And who are the people who are kind of most likely to be to benefit from the services that you provide or who are the people who are reaching out to you? Is it just all new? Is it just new mothers generally or tell us a little bit about the populations that you that you serve most? Yeah, so usually we serve low income families. The ones that reach us out easily are the mothers that already had other kids. So those are the ones that come easily because they already know about the program. The one referral that works the most is the word of mouth we call it mother to mother. So because they already talk to the other mother explaining most of the service, so they will come. But we have direct referrals through the hospital that we work from, which is Cambridge Hospital. So internally, if it's a new new mom and she doesn't know, the nurses are there asking them and referring them direct to us as if any other hospital do the same. So the new new moms comes when they find out they're pregnant from hospital and providers because they might not have, you know, talked to anyone yet. Those are the ones that come in some families that move it into the community, situation change within their family. So a friend might say, you know, now that this have changed in your, you know, divorce or any other issues that might happen. So then word of mouth again is the powerful one, you know, it comes first and they really get to us that way. We do have other community services, which is Head Star, Early Head Star that we work together to. So they, when they see families, they ask about the service and vice versa, which you refer to them so that way we can help. Yeah, it sounds like it's, you know, really effective to have this kind of cross pollination of ways in which people can come under this umbrella. But once they come in through a Wix program, through a different program, Head Star or whatever, then they are going to be made aware of this kind of broad range of services that they have accessed. Yeah, and especially because if you focus in one special thing, you might not reach everyone. And when I feel like the harder situations that happen in life that, you know, it's the hardest once you figure it out, you think about so many things and you might not think about a program that can help you with emergency food right away. So we try our best to be in the community, either food pantries or, you know, many other places that serve food directly. And you mentioned that you serve basically a low income population, so there is a income qualification as part of it? Yes, yes. So one, if a person has, for example, mass health, and I know mass health, we have various kinds of in types, but the standard mass health that we call, the income level is lower than ours. So that person is automatically eligible for the program. So that is the easy one. But that's what I mentioned, like don't, just because you don't have that type, don't say always can call us and we can screen because there are other, yeah. Right, you'd rather, right. So let's make this very clear, right? We want to give the message out to folks that if they have any questions about whether they might qualify in terms of income or otherwise, it's worth not just simply deciding, oh, it's probably not going to, it's not going to work out. Instead, reach out and if you, if in fact they don't qualify for whatever reason for your specific program, you may well have ideas or other directions in which to send them. Yes, because even if they don't qualify, but sometimes they have a condition that is happening, that we can even make the referral anyways, you know, we can give them extra information. One thing that we just opened for the community serving our hospitals and any community that we serve is just the hospital doing COVID, they couldn't keep up with their breastfeeding classes. So we have four peer counselors, we kind of train them and now they're providing classes in English, Spanish and Portuguese for the whole community. So even if you call us and you are a new mom and you don't qualify for the program, at least you can participate on the class no matter what. We can get your email and sign you up right away. So that's one thing for sure. And then many other things that we might find out, you know, that it can serve weak participants and not weak participants. You know, one thing that I'm struck by and just what you've said already is that it seems to me like you've, you're in a good situation in terms of getting the word out to the people who need to know what it is that you provide. And the reason I think that is because as you've said, you have mothers who've already been in the program. And so if they have, you know, as they are having more children, they are already aware of things. They're also talking to other new mothers. And then you mentioned that Cambridge hospital, I'm sure every hospital in which, you know, women are delivering babies, there would be that information available there too. Is that how it feels? So to me, that looks like, oh, that's quite robust. You're really finding those populations. I suspect maybe not though, right? Well, a lot of things, see, COVID made a lot of the things improved in a certain way. And that is the big difference. So before COVID, no, we were, it was really hard. Some people would not mention it. Probably because the economic situation then, the foods that we provided, the amount of fruits and vegetables that we had, our package changed over this past few years. So the value we were giving like $11 for fruits and vegetables compared to right now, a child would have received $25 and a prenatal mom would receive, you know, $40. Over what period of time? Like COVID. Like because of the whole situation and the impact. So we got money, you know, to improve and increase the value of the cash benefits. That's what we say. Okay, but I'm just sorry. I'm just trying to get a sense of the $11 that you mentioned before that has, you know, now we've bumped up to a higher figure. What is that? Is that for fruits and vegetables for a week, for a day, for a? That's for a month. For a month. Yes. Okay. So just to give people a sense. Yeah, and that's per person in your family. So if you have a child and a mom that is pregnant, they are both receiving that, but it's per month. Okay. Yes. So in the past, before COVID, we were having difficulties to reach out to people. And we don't know, maybe it was the value where people didn't know. Once COVID hit, we were able to use the technology, you know, so many other resources that made us available on their hands, on their phone. So people could call us, you know, and have the information via using more WhatsApp, using more text message. So in receiving services over the phone made everything easier. Transportation too, now having to come to the office, made people realize and the condition, you know, people need more of the resources at the time. So it changed, but we still see a percentage of moms coming towards the end of the pregnancy versus the beginning of the pregnancy, not as before. So we switched, we had about 48 to 50 something percent coming at the end of their pregnancy. And now we have only like 30, 28 percent coming at the end of the pregnancy. So we still try to reach more sooner than later, but we still have to keep, you know, informing people. Yeah, I mean, it's interesting what you said, of course, that's very familiar to anybody who has lived through these last three and a half years. But the ways in which the pandemic both, you know, caused innumerable, you know, hassles and etc., it also was a real boon and real opportunity to expand access. We, for instance, as a television station, we found that we needed to be able to help our town to take the things that mattered most, whether there were government meetings, public forums, etc., and there needed to be a way to disseminate that information to people who were stuck in their homes. And so we found that we had a real vital role to play, but it also meant that as COVID tailed off, we were able to continue to make use of those technologies that had helped us to reach a broader audience. I imagine you have the similar experience. Yes, so that's another step that we're taking. The government just gave some grants for innovations in WIC, so things that are here, some of them are staying and, you know, going back. We're moving forward in some of the technology that works. So in the future, like right now, when our waivers will expire as of July, so August 1st, we'll start in-person service with has been happening already. People will have the flexibility of some video appointments, you know, continue, some phone appointments continue, and the in-person appointment, and the online appointment. Yeah, again, our local government, for instance, is now offering most of their meetings, or many of their meetings, you can attend in person, or these are hybrid presentations, right? You can attend them in person, or you can tune in to them in another way. It has just increased the number of choices that people have about how to get that information. And I guess, again, the same thing is true for you, where you created this option for your clients to be able to do everything remotely. I imagine that even as many of us have been very glad to get back into the in-person work environments that we are in, again, that there's probably a lot of people who are making use of your services, who feel most comfortable staying remote. Is that the case? Yes. So there are a lot of moms with kids that, you know, a schedule in life happens where it's easier for them to continue the services remotely, and then we just have to coordinate a few things to make sure we have the best information on that child so we can do a full assessment for the nutrition and health. So what are the advantages? Like, you're saying that basically coming into the clinic has been an option for a while, but you want to make sure that people understand that that's an option. What are the advantages to doing so? So coming to the clinic, you have an in-person visit, you're going to be able to see nutritionists. We're going to measure the kid, you know, ourselves, so it's done right there precisely. And unless you have the information from the doctor a recent visit, I would definitely recommend going, especially if the mother has concerns about, you know, developing our way and that kid. For new clients, if you're registering for the first time, the best advantage is you get your WIC card right away, hint, so you can use your benefits sometimes on the same day. If you came in at eight o'clock in the morning and everything was approved, on that same day you can go shopping versus if we do everything remotely, we'll have to mail that to you. And sometimes it's a short period of a wait, but sometimes it can take a little bit longer. As we all know, as we all know about things we've waited for in the mail, right? Yeah. Yeah, so that WIC card that you were just mentioning that somebody who is a first-time registrant can get as they leave the office and then make use of right away, what does that specifically, what does that enable them to do? So the electronic card is where we add all the food, so the cash value plus all the items that they receive, like milk, cheese, eggs, and all the other that makes the full package that they receive on WIC. And they have, sure they have a period of 30 days to use that, so it does have time for them to receive at home if we have to mail. But it's the foods, it's one card per family, so if a family have like three individuals, it's still all in one card. It's the same, the P.O.S. machine that you use to pay at the store with your credit card is the same place that you use your WIC card. And if a client, for example, has a SNAP, we just make sure like use your WIC benefits, because WIC only pays for certain items and certain foods. And then you use your SNAP, because if you use reverse SNAP, we're not paying for everything and then you have to come back and use WIC, but this is what that card. And what are the items that WIC will, you know, what are the categories? So we provide milk, cheese, eggs, peanut butter or dry beans, whole grains, juice and fruits and vegetables, which is the cash value. So everything is an item inside the package, so a person has to buy that item and will deduct from the total, so you don't have to think about the amount of the value. It's just the fruits and vegetables are certain values, so you shop and it comes out, and then if at the end you spend more, then you just pay the difference for that. Everything else is an item. Once you use it, it's out of your card. It's basically so if you have a big store around you, you know, then it's going to cost a certain amount, but if you live in a community, there's a like a small corner store and the price is a little bit different, you don't have to worry about it. As long as you bought those items, it's paid for. Okay, so I'm getting a better idea. I just want to make sure that I have the right idea, and that is for the items that you mentioned, for the eggs and the milk and cheese and things like that. That is basically an item, and it doesn't matter how much it costs, they just get to get that item or that number of items, and then there's another category, as in fruits and vegetables, where you can provide them with a certain amount of money that they can spend on that category of foods, and they can do that wherever they'd like, but once that money runs out, then they're paying for the rest of them. Yes, and it's everything electronically, so they have an app on their phone that tells them the food list and what they can or cannot buy, because probably in the store now, if you never notice, now you're going to notice when you go on the milk aisle or the bread aisle, there are some items that have our WIC logo right by the price, that means it's WIC approved, and they can scan with their phone using the app just to see if it's WIC approved or not, so we are pretty electronic now. And then as soon as they shop, it will give them a paper copy of what is left to shop, and they can look at the app and it right away shows in there and until what date. So usually, if you haven't spent your items one week before, it expires, it tells you, you have one week to buy your foods and things like that. Yeah, I mean it feels like these are serious advances in terms of people, in terms of convenience for people, in terms of basically helping them. I think you must have many years of experience, the WIC program, and you personally of course, with just how crazy, busy, and distractible the lives of the women who you are working with are. And so anything that helps them just gives them a nudge, it gives them a reminder, et cetera, as the kids are running around and making all kinds of noise, et cetera, is going to be very, very helpful I would think for them. Yeah, in this situation there are Massachusetts too, it has the advantage of technology, we improved some states or not, and we were fortunate enough to be able to have everything on a card, so when we had to change services the way we provide, we already had all in a card in what is easy to continue to provide services over the phone. So you were just mentioning how Massachusetts has some advantages compared to some other places in that way. Is the WIC program, I mentioned at the outset people might have heard about it on the federal level, what I'm thinking of is just, in general, WIC is one of those programs that is mentioned when we're talking about the snaps and the other kinds of federalists or government assistance programs. But the WIC program, is that a state program, state by state program? Is it even more local than that or is it a federal program? It's a federal program, so that's where we see them, but we in Massachusetts has the support of the state and that's what it makes a difference, and the same in all the other states. So we all receive the federal money and then depending on the state you know you have more support to help improve a few things here and there. That's the difference, but we are in all the states. You were mentioning that some of the programs that you've been able to innovate in these last few years were funded by government money that was specifically about the pandemic, ARPA funds and other kinds of funds I assume that you had access to. Those funds for lots of organizations and towns and municipalities frankly are starting to dissipate now because the spigots have been turned off. How are you feeling about your work and the programs that you provide as you're looking at the next year, two years, five years, etc.? So again because we have the state support we do not have a waiting list, so we continue to provide service to anyone that is eligible at the moment. Our funds for COVID was just to support how we were working, like extra computer for people that needed to work from home because we couldn't carry our computers in the office and things like that, so that is not going to affect us. So it was all about kind of infrastructure and administrative expenses and things like that. And a few changes that were made just got, you know, went up for vote and National Week Association and all the other states, you know, made proposals and they are reviewing things, so we are going to continue but it's already embedded in our normal funding now. Okay, we only have a couple minutes left. I want to make sure that you can speak straight to our Arlington audience about what it is that you would like to make sure that they know that we don't stop teeping before you're able to let folks know. Well, I really wanted to make sure everyone knows that we do have an Arlington work office located at 7 Central Street in Arlington, a Suite 170. We are there every Tuesday from 10 to 6.30. You are welcome to walk in. We are doing in-person services and over the phone. Starting August 1st, if you're registered for the first time, most likely we would ask you to come in person. So it's our state, you know, putting that recommendation to serve you better. Sure, if there's any adjustment, but we are open providing services, you know, every Tuesday and anyone in the community. So WIC is not related to, like, you live here, you have to, but if you work here, you are in the area or you use providers in the area, you're more than welcome to come and use our Arlington service. One thing that it's coming up, it's Farmers' Markets. So during the Farmers' Markets month, we do provide WIC vouchers where they get extra vouchers to use at the Farmers' Market and we were at the Arlington Farmers' Market twice last year. So we are hoping to set up that date soon so we'll be distributing vouchers to at the Farmers' Market. We send communication, so if you are registered already, you receive communication right on your phone where all of this is happening, but if you're a new person, that's when you have to reach out. Okay, wonderful information, that and great way to end up. So we'll see you at the Farmers' Market and also we'll just remind people it's Tuesday, basically all day, business, normal business hours on a Tuesday and it's seven Central Street, and we know that that's a cross-mass ab from the Town Hall, basically back in that area just to give people a general idea. And then lastly, I just want to again reiterate what you said, if you work here rather than live here, you also can access that office and its services. Wonderful. Hopefully the timer will get turned off and we'll just finish up, great, by saying that I've been speaking with Carla Sodeyama, sorry to stumble over your last name. Carla Sodeyama has joined us, she is the director of the WIC program in the Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Watertown and Bedford. There we go, I had almost forgotten. Among those various cities, the WIC program that she's just described. So Carla, again, one more time, thanks for joining us and sharing this really great information. Again. We appreciate it, we appreciate Carla's time, we appreciate your time as well. This has been Talk of the Town, I'm James Malam, we'll see you next time.