New research is making the case for an online system to better serve young families who depend on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

Ohio is among just 10 states requiring WIC recipients to mail or present their EBT card at a WIC office every four months to reload benefits.

Hope Lane-Gavin, health equity fellow at the Center for Community Solutions, said Ohio had a tremendous health and human service response to the pandemic, but during the same period, states with offline systems saw a significant decrease in WIC enrollment.

"If you're on WIC, you're either pregnant, postpartum, and you have a toddler or a newborn," Lane-Gavin explained. "And so, you have to load everybody into a car or take the bus just to get the benefit itself, and then you have to go shopping. So that is a whole ordeal and that is reflected in our enrollment numbers."

Data showed WIC participation was 9% lower in offline states relative to online states. Ohio was one of the first states to use EBT cards. And while the decision occurred years ago, Lane-Gavin contended the pandemic exposed it actually runs counter to the program's intentions and goals.

Lane-Gavin pointed out an online EBT program could improve infant mortality rates and maternal health. She used Medicaid as an example, where beneficiaries are inherently eligible for WIC.

"There's about 115,000 births in the state every year, and roughly 50% of those births are on Medicaid," Lane-Gavin noted. "So, hypothetically, if all of those people got on the WIC program and the benefits were remote, it would make a huge difference in infant and maternal health in the state and the takeup of the program. "

The American Rescue Plan Act included WIC modernization funding, so Lane-Gavin emphasized researchers encouraged state officials to use those dollars to bring the system online.

"Families are hurting," Lane-Gavin observed. "And as we face this inevitable COVID-19 cliff where a lot of these programs that were created because of the pandemic are starting to wind down, we know that families still need help."

The Center for Community Solutions has an online series examining ways to improve the WIC program.

Reporting by Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.

Better health and educational outcomes are being touted as the potential benefits as Minnesota lawmakers discuss whether to provide free school meals for all students.

Supporters of the idea said it is especially critical now, to ensure all kids can get free breakfast and lunch at school, regardless of income. A legislative plan calls for state funding to be combined with annual aid from the long-standing National School Lunch Program.

Leah Gardner, policy director for Hunger Solutions Minnesota, said the state is coming off a record year for visits to food shelves. She argued more can be done to help struggling families who are barely above the current eligibility threshold for free school meals.

"If you're a family with multiple kids in school, we're talking about a hundred dollars or more a month out of your budget," Gardner pointed out.

She noted amid higher consumer costs, it has become increasingly difficult to afford, and the need is being felt in all regions of Minnesota.

Health experts have said consistent, balanced meals help students focus and stay healthy. The bill is being proposed by Democrats. During committee debate, Republicans said expanding the eligibility threshold would be more effective, but an amendment failed.

Dr. Aarti Bhatt, a pediatrician at Community-University Health Care Center in Minneapolis, said food insecurity is considered by researchers as one of the Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACES, for its lasting impacts.

"We know that what happens to kids when they're young, up through adulthood, has a huge impact on development of various chronic diseases," Bhatt explained.

She added other factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and anxiety.

Bukata Hayes, vice president of racial equity for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, said free school meals tie into the social determinants of health, noting 80% of a person's health is shaped by factors outside a doctor's office.

Hayes asserted making sure all kids can get food at school is one way to help close achievement gaps in learning, knowing there are other racial disparities to contend with.

"Housing, wealth and other areas," Hayes outlined. "Removing one of those, particularly for children of color in schools, is important."

The bill has moved through various committees. Roughly $400 million would be needed the next two budget years to cover the costs. It comes as the state considers how to use its historic surplus.

A measure in the Washington State Legislature would provide free school meals to K-12 students, but nutrition service workers are worried they are not being considered.

The American Federation of Teachers of Washington represents kitchen workers and is supportive of the bill, but the union said lawmakers also need to ensure there is enough staff to provide the meals.

Kristine Bengochea, kitchen manager for the Northshore School District in King and Snohomish counties, said staffing is a key component of the effort.

"With this new bill coming up, we are so concerned with how many actual workers there will be available to feed all the children," Bengochea noted.

Bengochea pointed out her kitchen has about nine workers and serves 300-400 students daily. The measure is meant to extend a federal policy from the pandemic, which allowed all students to receive meals. The office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, which requested the legislation, did not respond to a request for comment.

Based on the pandemic, AFT Washington expects the number of students it feeds to double from before COVID-19. Bengochea recalled the pandemic was a hard experience for many workers.

"We burned out so quickly with the workers that we had, and this year the workers have either retired early or just didn't come back," Bengochea explained. "We're afraid that's going to happen again with this bill coming out."

The Committee on Early Learning and K-12 Education passed the measure this week. The House version is scheduled for an executive session in the Committee on Education today.

A recent survey offers insight into the challenges with hunger many Nevada families are facing on a daily basis.

The "Feeding Our Community" survey from the Food Bank of Northern Nevada found about half of its clients sometimes have to choose between food and transportation. One in three chooses between paying for food or medical bills.

Nicole Lamboley, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, said the yearlong study is done in partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno, and underscores the many "impossible choices" leading Nevada households to become food-insecure.

"Sixty-five percent of the people surveyed had a household income of less than $20,000 annually," Lamboley reported. "That is significant. So that means, you know, they are making those tough choices."

The data showed 72% of those surveyed rent or own their own place with 26% paying a mortgage. It was collected from March 2021 through March 2022.

Because of the time frame, survey administrators realized it would be important to address whether and how the pandemic played a role. According to Lamboley, almost 30% of those surveyed said they started using a food pantry as a direct result of the pandemic.

She noted not only has demand for emergency food gone up, but half of the participants reported buying fewer healthy food options due to lower costs.

"When people have to make tough choices, they choose unhealthy food options," Lamboley observed. "Oftentimes they go with what is not best. Fresh fruit and vegetables are sometimes out of reach for people."

Lamboley added they are currently serving more than 130,000 people per month, which is a record for the organization. Their service area encompasses 90,000 square miles of Northern Nevada and into California's Eastern Sierra region.