MCHD WIC’s hospital liaison program continues to grow

Jun. 24, 2026

Contact: Mary Wade Burnside
Public Information Officer | Monongalia County Health Department
Morgantown, WV 26505 (304) 598-5152 | www.monchd.org MaryWade.Burnside@wv.gov

For Immediate Release

MORGANTOWN, WV (June 24, 2026) — Before members of Monongalia County Health Department’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) staff started visiting new moms in the hospital after giving birth, those women might have stopped by the WIC office to get signed up for benefits, baby in tow, on their way home after being discharged.
Or maybe they would disrupt their evolving new routine and come in after a few days.
Or transportation issues might have served as a barrier to getting to a WIC office to sign up at all.
But hospital liaisons, first introduced at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s as a pilot program in 2023, have alleviated those issues by having WIC staffers visit new moms in their hospital rooms and enroll them in benefits offered by the federally-funded WIC nutrition program.
Since then, it’s expanded to two other area hospitals: United Hospital Center in Bridgeport in December 2024 and, most recently, Vandalia Health Mon Medical Center in mid-April.
“As a new mom, coming into the WIC office is not high on the priority list," said Cami Haught, program manager of MCHD WIC. “You’re worried about sleep and your baby. This just takes that off the plate. It’s one less thing to worry about.”
And as noted by Chrissy Rodeheaver, who has been meeting with new moms for nearly two years at Children’s, “They’re navigating feeding, changing and caring for a new baby while in a postpartum body that needs time to heal and adjust to life after pregnancy. They’re often so grateful to have one thing checked off their list and go home with one less thing to stress over.”
The progress has been so successful that Trisha Sanders has joined Rodeheaver at Children’s to meet with expectant and new moms.
“I would say that 95% of moms are happy to see me come in and take care of their appointments,” Sanders said. “Most of the infants I see are in the NICU and should not be in a public place with many germs. Families usually feel relieved when it’s one less thing to worry about.”
Samantha Harper now visits new moms at Vandalia Health Mon Medical Center as well as expectant mothers at the maternity clinic at the nearby Mon Health Medical Park.
“Since starting, I have increased the number of participants seen each month, and I expect that number to keep increasing as we establish our presence in Vandalia Health, especially in the outpatient clinic due to the high volume of patients they see daily,” said Harper, who noted that the women seem “extremely appreciative.”
That is echoed by Stephanie Marshall of the Harrison County WIC office, who has been the liaison at UHC for a year and a half now.
“Moms are always so happy and grateful to see me there,” she added. “I have seen quite a few brand-new moms wanting to sign up. The numbers keep going up.”
In the first six weeks, Harper certified or recertified 12 new moms at Vandalia Health MMC and 25 at the OB/GYN clinic, Haught added.
Between Oct. 1, 2025 and May 31, nearly 300 new moms were certified or re-certified through MCHD WIC at WVU Medicine Golisano Children's. That number for the same time period at UHC was 73.
Tiffany E. Williams, RN, of Vandalia Health Mon Medical Center, said that when WIC staffers approached her with the idea of signing up new moms while still at the hospital, she quickly recognized the benefit to patients.
“From our perspective, the program has been incredibly successful,” she said. “We are truly excited about this collaboration.”
Seeing staff members embracing the liaison system and working to ensure that every eligible mother receives benefits has been very satisfying for Williams.
“Their passion and commitment have been inspiring, and it has reinforced the importance of meeting with families where they are and removing barriers to care.”
WIC provides nutrition, breastfeeding support, health education and other services, free of charge, to pregnant women, mothers, infants and children up to the age of 5 who qualify. WIC members receive benefits on an EBT card that allow them to purchase approved food items at grocery stores.
MCHD WIC operates in six counties — Monongalia, Preston, Marion, Harrison, Doddridge and Taylor. More information can be found at www.monchd.org/departments-programs/wic.
Meanwhile, the state WIC office has coordinated to introduce the hospital liaison program at Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg, Princeton Community Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Buckhannon.
The original idea for MCHD’s WIC program to pilot this collaboration occurred during a regular meeting with staff at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s.
“They asked if WIC had any needs they could help with. I asked them if we could come into the hospital and complete appointments at the bedside,” Haught said. “I thought it would be a great way to get women enrolled in the program.”