Las Vegas Urban League WIC A Beacon For Information During April's National Minority Health Month

LAS VEGAS - April 6, 2022 - PRLog -- Each year the Office of Minority Health (OMH) sponsors National Minority Health during the month of April to highlight the importance of improving the health of racial/ethnic minority populations nationwide. Las Vegas Urban League WIC - Nutrition Education Centers has become a leading resource and authority in administering programs that deal with rising health concerns in minority populations throughout Southern Nevada.

For 2022, OHM is focusing on the disproportionate burden of COVID on racial/ethnic minority communities. This is where WIC has been taking a leading role in helping communities.

"Our Nutrition Education Centers are in daily contact with the Nevada State Health Division, as we deploy increased precautionary sanitation measures that comply with the Southern Nevada Health District, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services and CDC guidelines in response to COVID," Natasha Lising, WIC Program Nutritionist, said. "We are available to provide exceptional nutritional counseling to our families in a safe and healthy manner."

OHM has identified certain social determinates of health (SDOH) that affect racial/ethnic communities where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age. Five key SDOHs include economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, the neighborhood environment and social and community context.

"WIC counselors address these five social determinates daily with clients," Lising said. "We are available 24/7 to advise families on how to eat better and live a healthier lifestyle. People who don't have access to grocery stores with healthy foods, for example, are less likely to have good nutrition. This raises their risk for other health issues like heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Unhealthy lifestyles also lowers life expectancies. We provide individuals and families with nutrition education, as well as other resources needed for a healthier lifestyle."

Working with its community partners, WIC also addresses other SDOHs that include providing clients guidance and information on safe housing and transportation; racism, discrimination and violence; education, job opportunities and income counseling; physical activity resources and development of language and literacy skills.

For more helpful information, visit the Urban League WIC website at: www.wiclv.org or their two convenient locations: 6480 W. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas, phone (702) 227-1573 or 3320 E. Flamingo Road, Suite 50, Las Vegas, phone (702) 476-9561.

The Las Vegas Urban League Women, Infants and Children Program is a 501c (3) program that is funded by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health.The WIC Program is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.