Enrollment in FCM and WIC services during the first trimester of pregnancy is essential to ensure maximum impact on the health of the mother and the newborn infant. The graph below shows that between 2002 and 2007, there was a gradual upward trend in the proportion of program participants who enrolled in the FCM and WIC programs during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Tabular version of Chart "Prenatal Participants' First Trimester Enrollment in WIC and FCM" by Statewide Percent
| Quarter ending |
WIC |
FCM |
| December 2002 |
39.80% |
45.50% |
| March 2003 |
40.81% |
46.13% |
| June 2003 |
41.08% |
45.97% |
| September 2003 |
37.90% |
44.37% |
| December 2003 |
42.46% |
47.88% |
| March 2004 |
42.94% |
48.78% |
| June 2004 |
42.67% |
49.17% |
| September 2004 |
40.49% |
46.96% |
| December 2004 |
44.07% |
49.44% |
| March 2005 |
44.32% |
50.06% |
| June 2005 |
44.49% |
50.71% |
| September 2005 |
41.89% |
48.86% |
| December 2005 |
41.84% |
49.72% |
| March 2006 |
44.87% |
50.25% |
| June 2006 |
44.73% |
51.46% |
| September 2006 |
43.49% |
50.37% |
| December 2006 |
43.89% |
50.35% |
| March 2007 |
46.76% |
50.04% |
| June 2007 |
45.22% |
50.63% |
Local WIC and FCM agencies use a variety of strategies to reach low-income families in the communities they serve. These may include door-to-door canvassing, distribution of printed materials and use of mass media, as well as nontraditional methods that may be necessary to identify potential participants in hard-to-reach populations, such as persons who abuse drugs or engage in prostitution.
Enrollment in FCM during the first trimester of pregnancy has been improving but remains a challenge.
The Department also takes advantage of its computer technology to increase the proportion of Medicaid-eligible pregnant women who enroll in WIC and FCM and to improve the proportion of women who enroll in the first trimester of pregnancy. Local WIC and FCM service providers are indirectly linked to the Department's Family Community Resource Centers through an electronic data exchange. Each month, information about pregnant women who have enrolled in the Medicaid program is transferred from the Client Information System used by the Family Community Resource Centers to the Cornerstone system. The information is then distributed to local service providers and is ultimately used to conduct targeted outreach efforts.
