UPDATE: WIC office opens in Valley View Mall
UPDATE 9/24/12 2:10 p.m.
The Virginia Department of Health signed a $4,650 lease with Valley View Mall for the community wellness center space. Read more on the Med Beat blog here.
UPDATE: 9/18/12 1:45 p.m.
I was able to get in touch with WIC yesterday and have some answers to some of your questions.
The Women’s Infants and Children Community Wellness Center at Valley View Mall is a pilot location for the Virginia Department of Health, said Dr. Stephanie Harper, district health director for the Virginia Department of Health. It is funded by a federal grant and no funds from the state were used to fund the operation, Harper explained. She did not have specific information on the lease agreement with Valley View. She did mention the lease was for seven months.
The center is for everyone in the community including men, women, families and children, she said. There are nutrition education pamphlets and programs available for anyone who are interested. There will also be a nursing room designated for breast-feeding mothers. This room is open to any breast-feeding mother including those who do not qualify for the WIC program, Harper said.
The center has been open for 12 days and has seen 265 community members, Harper said.
“The goal of the center is to increase access to nutrition education for the community and increase WIC involvement,” she said.
The center is open from Monday-Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
I have included more from my interview with Dr. Harper in my Retail RoundUp column which runs this Sunday.
-End Update-
The Virginia Department of Health Women Infants and Children’s program opened an outreach center in the lower level of Valley View Mall in front of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream in the former Trade Secret location, according to Valley View Mall assistant general manager, Veronica Breck.
I’ve contacted the local WIC office several times today, but I haven’t gotten a response yet. I will update this post when I find out more details about the new center and its services.
According to the local WIC Website, there are three WIC sites in Roanoke City that enroll WIC participants:
NE City | Roanoke City Health Department | 1502 Williamson Rd. 2nd Floor NE | Roanoke, Virginia 24012 | Call for appointment or information: (540) 283-5050 | Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday 8:00AM – 4:30PM.
SE City | Belmont Presbyterian Church | 1005 9th Street, SE | Roanoke, Virginia 24013 | Call for an appointment or information: (540) 857-6063 | Hours of Operation: Monday – Thursday 8:00AM – 4:30PM.
NW City | First Church of the Brethren | 2001 Carroll Ave, NW | Roanoke, Virginia 24017 | Call for an appointment or information: (540) 857-6473 | Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday 8:00AM – 4:30PM.
September 10, 2012 - 4:39 PM
Wonderful, another great use of our tax dollars…everyone knows space at Valley View Mall is not expensive……
I wonder how much rent they are paying there? Surely they could have found a better place for this office. Our tax dollars at work.
Well, “ain’t” that just great. Having owned a store at VV for 15 years, I can tell you that when I sold the store in ’98 the rent was over $5000 a month for 1100 sq feet. Might as well just put free loaded cards on a stand in the middle of the mall and let whoever wants one take it. Might cost the taxpayer less money. That is pretty much the way runs now and then we wouldn’t have to pay the rent or employees. Oh yes we would still ave to pay for a 1 foot sq space for the stand but still…
Well, there goes CBL’s dream of making Valley View an “upscale” mall. I also agree with the comments that an office with lower rent would have been more appropriate, but I assume CBL is getting a big tax write-off by donating a space they couldn’t rent anyway, so that explains both issues.
GIVE ME A BREAK. AT Valley View Mall? THAT IS RIDICULOUSLY INSANE. Find out the rent. As taxpaying citizens, we deserve to know. We are already funding that easily-taken-advantage-of program. Those folks need to get a job at the mall – not be showing up there for handouts.
Thats sucks. I wish Valley View would stop letting in non retail!! Let them go somewhere else. Who wants to go shopping and see that!
I guess the governor announces a small budget surplus and every agency in the commonwealth goes out shopping-in this case literally. Unless Valley View is donating that space, it would seem to reason the money could be better spent in the form of actual services or goods for the poor.
“Who wants to go shopping and see that!”
What, poor people? Is this 18th century France?
“Who wants to go shopping and see that!”
Yeah, who wants to go spend money on things like scented candles and name-brand clothes and have to risk seeing people seeking government assistance, right? Why can’t they have the decency to keep their poverty out of plain sight? Tsk, tsk.
(I do find it a strange juxtaposition to have a WIC office in a mall, but on the other hand it’s on a bus route and close to Wal-Mart, and thus more convenient for those dependent on public transportation.)
Laura, you are MISSING the point. Valley View Mall is known for having HIGH RENT – and considering we are tax-paying citizens who are PAYING for this WIC program, we are questioning the use of funds for such a rental space. Especially when there are other, less-expensive options available to support this program in our area.
People are jumping to the conclusion that CBL is charging the Commonwealth high rent for the space. Perhaps someone from the RT could find out for us if CBL is receiving some incentive to have the government office there or if they are gouging the taxpayer.
PT, she is missing YOUR point. She got Chris’s point right on the money (no pun intended). He just doesn’t want a “welfare office” in the middle of what is supposed to be an “upscale mall”. My earlier comment was basically an indictment of that attitude, and unfortunately Chris is not the only one who feels that way.
I agree with you, but I think it’s highly probable that CBL is donating space they were having trouble filling anyway.
Agree with Laura!!
Those in need of the services of the WIC office have just as much right to walk around the mall as the 10 cent millionaires responding to this blog
Tim- They do have the right and believe me if you have gone to the mall recently they are there! We just don’t need or want this service in VV.
right on Spinny!!
Enjoy your blogs Shelia but miss Amanda. How is she doing and when do we expect her back??
I don’t disagree, Tim. I also don’t think those who are pointing out that paying rent to CBL is a waste of our tax dollars have any issue with the location of the office aside from the fact that it’s a high-rent property.
Sheila, can you contact Valley View management to see what the situation is? That should answer everyone’s questions about why it’s there and whether our tax dollars are being wasted. Thanks!
My wife and I use wic because we are foster parents. I resent the implication about being on wic and being poor and broke. You people should be ashamed of yourselves for even implying, that because you are on wic that you are flat broke and live in government housing!
Chris at 7:49, speak for yourself, and get the heck over yourself while you’re at it. It’s attitudes like yours that make Roanoke small-town and backwater, not the local retail offerings.
And any mall with a Buckle has given up any pretension it ever had to being “high end”. We’re in Roanoke, Virginia, folks – let’s scale back the faux snobbery.
WIC is a wonderful program. The food choices allow some choice and variety to suit personal choice, yet provide healthy food for pregnant women and children. No one is buying junk food or premium meats with WIC. If all government aid programs worked as well as WIC, much of the current debate over the 47% might not be relevant.
Check out the list of foods at: http://www.vahealth.org/dcn/Publications/Files/PDFs/2009%20Foodlist_web.pdf
LOL… well said, Kristen. If only everyone knew the whole story on Chris.
Um, “lower-case chris”… Why be a foster parent if you still have to rely on the government to support the kids? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?
Kristen and Spiny- just because you go through WIC does not mean that the rest of us have to go through your wining about it!
Spiny you have no right to judge us foster parents! Now I bet you are wondering which of the 3 Chris’s on the blog this is um!!!!!!
Kristen my dear!- you obviousily know nothing about high end. Buckles are everywhere. Have you ever been to short pump or tysons corner?? I did’nt think so or you would know!!
WHO- AM I OLD MAN!! The whole story!!Which Chris is this???????????
Chris, I have no doubt Buckles are “everywhere”. And FYI…it’s “Whining”.
And you’re the same “Chris”, hon. Check your avatar.
OK Chris, since you are offended by those who need these services and you don’t want them at VV, I suggest that you champion the cause to move the service to the abandoned Ukrop’s building on Franklin Road. This will be a win, win situation for you.
Hello, my name is CHRIS/Chris/chris… pleased to meet you.
What an outragous use of federal tax money! Another fleecing of America!
Everyone in the decision process from Harper to Obama should be fired!!!,and then be held ACCOUNTABLE!!!!!!
Shame on the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT for its unnecessary spending at a time when the country is insolvent. Shame on the State of Virginia officials who are accepting this grant money!
Its the health dept WIC people vs the nonprofit CHIP people….
I didn’t know about the WIC people. What they do sounds a lot like the CHIP people…
All that rent to only be open 22 hrs each week? What a waste of taxpayer money! This is very disgusting!!!!!!!
WILL DO BIG BOY!! THANKS!!!!!
I WILL DARLING!!THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!