Louisiana, which struggles with a high infant mortality rate and is one of the when it comes to women’s health, could better tap federal resources to aid pregnant women by making the WIC program more accessible, a has found.
The state’s participation rate in the WIC program, which provides routine testing, nutrition counseling and money for healthy foods to low-income pregnant women and their babies, was ranked the lowest in the nation by the USDA, according to a June report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.
Between 2021 and 2024, Louisiana did not use approximately $111 million worth of federal WIC funding, the report says.
“Louisiana is ranked 50th in WIC participation and 52nd when you include Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.,” said Gina Brown, a state audit manager. “Given our health outcomes and our poverty rate, that kind of alarmed us.”
“Why are we dead last in this program that’s all federal funds, that’s intended to help women and children?” Brown added.
The $111 million figure is based on funds that could go to eligible women who are not participating in WIC, and on the value food benefits that were not redeemed at stores, said Ashley Brecheen, a senior auditor with the state.
The Louisiana Department of Health, which oversees WIC, agreed with most of the audit’s recommendations and said it has already taken steps to address the concerns raised in the report and make WIC more accessible.
For example, the report found that over half of WIC clinics were not fully complying with a state policy that requires them to perform at least one outreach activity each month. The state health department said it would review reports from the clinics monthly, to ensure they complied with that requirement.
The agency also set a goal of increasing WIC participation by 25% by the end of the year.
Earlier this year, a United Health Foundation report found Louisiana had the worst health outcomes for women and children in the country. Last year, a found pregnancy care had worsened in the state, despite increased attention and funding.
Accessibility challenges
Auditors identified several barriers that could be hindering WIC participation: online information about clinics’ hours and phone numbers was not always accurate, and WIC clinic staff did not always answer phone calls.
“According to one mother who responded to the survey, she was unable to receive WIC during her pregnancy because she was unable to get her local clinic to answer or return her calls after she completed her online application,” the report says.
In response, state health officials said they would conduct monthly reviews of online information about clinics for accuracy, and that they would conduct a “secret shopper phone program” to randomly screen calls and improve customer service.
The state could further improve accessibility by making sure more WIC clinics were open outside of normal business hours, since working moms may struggle to attend appointments on weekdays, the audit said. About 80% of clinics only offered appointments between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the time of the audit.
A map included in the audit shows that north Louisiana is disproportionately impacted by that trend: only one WIC clinic in the northern half of the state operated outside of normal business hours. It was located near Shreveport.
Though there are exceptions, WIC participants must regularly attend in-person appointments to continue receiving benefits.
The state health department said it was “expanding the number of clinics offering non-traditional hours.” As of May 31, all parish health units would offer such hours, officials added.
Over half of the state’s roughly 100 WIC clinics were at parish health units, according to the audit.
Food benefits
Another element of WIC highlighted in the audit was its food benefit program, where beneficiaries receive EBT cards they can redeem at participating stores for specific food products.
Each food benefit package is tailored to the individual WIC participant, auditors noted.
But in 2025, nearly half of the food items included in the packages were not redeemed, the report said. Brown, the audit manager, noted the low redemption rate has implications for economic development: it is money that could be going to Louisiana businesses.
Auditors found that some food products, such as yogurt, were being redeemed at particularly low rates. They concluded some moms weren’t purchasing the yogurt because it was only offered in half-quart or full quart sizes, and they thought such a large portion would go to waste.
The report suggested the Louisiana Department of Health offer more flexibility on which products could be purchased, a recommendation with which the agency agreed.
Though it is not addressed in the audit, the number of vendors participating in WIC may also be a barrier to food benefit redemption. Brown pointed to an early informational WIC report which found that some parishes only had one vendor.
The legislative auditor’s office is working on a third report pertaining to WIC food vendors, but it has not yet been released.