Ocala, Florida — The Florida Department of Health in Marion County today announced the WIC offices located in Dunnellon and Lynn will close in July. Currently these sites are open two days per month on alternating Wednesdays. All clients served at these two sites are already reassigned to receive services at the other locations.
The last day for services in the Dunnellon office is July 16, and for the Lynne office it will be July 23. Clients are assured they will continue to receive WIC services at the remaining three Marion County offices in Ocala, Reddick, and Belleview.
“We will continue to serve all our WIC clients from the other three locations,” said Mary Anne Hitson, Public Health Nutrition Program director at the Florida Department of Health in Marion County. “We have appointments available in Ocala, Reddick and Belleview, to ensure Marion County families continue to receive the nutrition assistance and other services provided through the WIC program.”
WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, is a federally-funded program that provides healthy food, as well as breastfeeding education and nutrition counseling, to eligible families. Marion County’s WIC program will continue to operate three sites throughout the county to help families improve their diet and food choices with the assistance of licensed nutritionists and nutrition educators. In Marion County, the average annual value of WIC foods received by WIC clients is more than $7 million.
Health department staff are available to help clients schedule appointments at the nearest WIC office. For more information or to request an appointment, please call the Marion County WIC office at 352-622-1161.
The Department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.