HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – The Hill County Health Department in Havre so far remains unaffected by the partial federal government shutdown. Public Health Director Kim Larson says they have been classified as an essential agency, but at least one of their programs could be affected if the shutdown continues.
“The one program that could see some effects down the road would be our WIC program because they’re funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But currently, all of the information we’re getting from the state WIC department is that we’re running as normal. If people want to sign up for WIC, they can come sign up. We’re still issuing checks.”
Larson says people can stay up to date by visiting their Facebook page.
“We will keep people, of course, informed if anything changes or if the shutdown keeps going longer and longer, we’ll definitely be up front with what’s going to happen or what could possibly happen and we tend to post that on our Facebook page. So if you follow our Hill County Health Department Facebook page, you’ll have the most up-to-date information on that.”
Larson says that stores are still getting paid for any WIC checks they accept. The State Department believes they can continue the WIC program for at least two months before they will reevaluate.
