Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania and Lebanon Family Health Services have secured a $426,000 grant to expand nutrition services for Spanish- and Arabic-speaking families in Lebanon County through the “WIC Works” initiative.
“This program will bring WIC enrollment and nutrition education directly to families via pop-up clinics and home visits, making these essential services more accessible than ever,” said a spokesperson for the initiative in an email.
According to the press release, Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania (FHCCP) have secured the funding to ensure Lebanon County families have easier access to vital nutrition services. Together, FHCCP and Lebanon Family Health Services (LFHS) are leveraging the $426,000 Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Community Innovation and Outreach grant to address a critical need for accessible nutrition services among Spanish- and Arabic-speaking families in central Pennsylvania, the release said.
Through the initiative, community workers will deliver innovative outreach designed to increase awareness of and participation in two U.S. Department of Agriculture programs: WIC, a special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children, and Head Start, which delivers comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services.
LFHS community health workers will host quarterly pop-up clinics at 14 Head Start sites in Lebanon County and partner with Early Head Start staff for home visits, the release said, noting the intention is to eliminate barriers to accessing WIC services by bringing full-service enrollment and nutrition education directly to families.
“We know that nutritious food, affordable health care and supportive programs are vital for improving the health and well-being of women and children,” Kimberly Kreider Umble, CEO of LFHS, said in a statement. “We are grateful for this opportunity to reach even more WIC-eligible families in Lebanon County, offering them better access to healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding counseling and support, health care and social service referrals.”
WIC is a federal nutrition program for income-eligible pregnant and postpartum individuals, infants and children up to age 5. According to the release, research has shown that participation in WIC is associated with many benefits to families, including improved birth outcomes with fewer premature births and infant deaths, improved dietary outcomes for infants and children, improved maternal health, and improved performance at school. In addition to health benefits, WIC participants showed significant savings in health-care costs when compared to non-participants.
FHCCP has delivered the WIC program in central Pennsylvania since the program’s pilot in 1973 and now serves over 12,000 participants each month. FHCCP partners with LFHS to provide the Lebanon County community with services through WIC.
More information about the Lebanon Family Health Services WIC program is available online.
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