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IV.(B) ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

GOAL:

WIC services have changed through the COVID-19 Health Emergency. It is paramount that WV WIC undergo process changes to stay relevant and connected with West Virginia families. Through the use of outside consultants WV WIC will build capacity at the local agency level to effectively pilot projects and report their effectiveness. The state agency will gain valuable skills to increase their capacity to provide technical assistance to the local agency teams.

METHODOLOGY: Through consultant facilitated meetings, state and local agency teams will continue to develop leadership skills and test various project management styles, engage in peer-to-peer learning and information sharing to increase the overall capacity of WV WIC local agencies to modernize the West Virginia WIC Program. The state agency team will develop leadership, note taking, and facilitation skills to better serve the local agencies in their role as technical assistants.

EVALUATION: Operational Quality Improvement (OQI) is operating under a 3-year plan, October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2025. The group meets quarterly and has four workgroups; service delivery, workforce, communication and training - reference Nutrition Services II (C) for this specific goal. Each Local Agency will engage in at least one modernization (i.e. pilot) initiative for continual quality improvement which creates a cultural shift of a bottom up vs. top-down approach for quality improvement and modernization efforts.

Individual workgroup performance indicators for products will be developed in August 2024. The WV WIC program will implement a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the initiation of new pilot projects. This tool will promote and streamline the process of starting a new pilot project. It contains an algorithm of how the process should be initiated, researched, planned and presented for OQI approval. Evaluation of each pilot project is defined and conducted by the State Agency Research Coordinator.

STATUS:

Technology for a Better WIC Experience funding has supported this initiative January 1, 2023 through May 31, 2024 with status updates provided via FNS-908 quarterly reporting. Modernization funding began funding the initiative June 1, 2024 and will continue through FFY2025.

The pilot project SOP is in final review and will be presented at the August 2024 OQI meeting for approval. A Local Agency staff meeting pilot project and SOP will also be finalized by the end of the FY.

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