Organization and Management (OM) OM-13 Community Provider Agreements and Coordination 1 Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention WIC Nutrition Program Effective: October 1, 2011

Policy No. OM-13 Revised: October 1, 2018 Community Provider Agreements and Coordination Authority 7CFR§ 246.4(a)(6); (7); (8) and (19); and §246.7 (b) 7CFR§ 246.7(m) WIC Policy Memorandum #2001-7, August 30, 2001 Immunization Screening and Referral Policy 1. The State Agency shall have memorandums of understanding with statewide providers. 2. Local Agencies may have memorandums of understanding with local community providers 3. Local Agencies shall periodically contact residential and homeless facilities located within the Public Health District to verify compliance with requirements for resident WIC participants. 4. The State Agency shall provide technical assistance to local agencies to promote collaborations and coordination between the WIC Program and community service providers. Procedure 1. The State Agency shall maintain written formal agreements that permit the sharing of participant information with statewide programs/providers. 2. Formal agreements, referred to as Memorandums of Understanding (MOU), for coordination of services shall include: 2.1. The responsibilities of each party; 2.2. Assurance that information shared shall be used for eligibility and/or outreach; 2.3. Assurance that information shall not be shared with a third party. 3. The State Agency assures that each Local Agency operating the Program within a hospital, and/or that has a cooperative arrangement with a hospital, advise all potentially eligible individuals of the availability of program services. 4. Local Agency staff shall make contact via phone, mail or in-person, with homeless and other residential facilities within the Public Health District coverage area annually, at a minimum,

Organization and Management (OM) OM-13 Community Provider Agreements and Coordination 2 or upon receipt of a participant report or complaint. Facilities to be considered for contact include but are not limited to: 4.1. Domestic violence shelters 4.2. Emergency shelters 4.3. Transitional programs 4.4. Specialty shelters for pregnant and/or parenting teens 4.5. Supervised publically or privately operated shelters which provide meal service, designed to provide temporary living accommodation 4.6. Facility that provides meal service and is a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized 5. When contacting homeless or other residential facilities, Local Agency staff shall verify the following: 5.1. The homeless facility does not accrue financial or in-kind benefit from a resident’s participation in the WIC Program (e.g., the institution does not reduce the quantity of food the person is receiving because he/she is receiving WIC foods); 5.2. Foods provided by the WIC Program are not used for communal food service, but are available exclusively to the WIC participant for whom they were issued; 5.3. The homeless facility places no constraints on the WIC participant’s ability to use WIC supplemental foods, or access WIC services of nutrition education, breastfeeding support and referrals; 5.4. Facility management understands that the WIC Program must be contacted if the facility ceases to meet any of these conditions. 5.5. State and/or Local Agency staff may request facility management to sign a written compliance agreement statement (Appendix OM-13-A) which includes the conditions stated above. 5.6. On-site monitoring of the facility may be performed by State and/or Local Agency staff as needed. 6. If a homeless facility or institution has been determined to be noncompliant during the course of a participant’s certification period, participants applying for continued benefits may be certified again, but the State Agency shall discontinue issuance of WIC foods, except infant formula, to the participant in such accommodation until the facility’s compliance is achieved or alternative shelter arrangements are made. 6.1. If certified, such participants shall continue to be eligible to receive all other WIC benefits, such as nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, and health and social service referrals.

Organization and Management (OM) OM-13 Community Provider Agreements and Coordination 3 6.2. The State Agency shall continue to the end of their certification periods the participation of residents of a homeless facility or institution which ceases to comply with program requirements. 6.3. As soon as the State or local agency determines that a facility does not meet program requirements, staff shall refer all participants receiving services at the facility to any other facility in the area which is compliant.