USDA to Temporarily Allow WIC Funds to be Used for Lead Testing for Flint-Area WIC Recipients, Announces Other Measures to Expand Access to Healthy Foods
10 Feb 2016
FLINT, Mich., Feb. 10, 2016 – As part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ongoing efforts to support residents in Flint, Mich., Dr. Kathryn Wilson, Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services today announced that USDA will temporarily allow Michigan to use WIC funds to conduct lead testing for WIC participants. An estimated 3,800 WIC participants could potentially be tested as a result of this action. The announcement came as Wilson visited a WIC clinic and elementary school in Michigan to discuss how residents can access USDA programs to help mitigate the ill effects of the city’s water crisis on their health and wellbeing. On this trip, USDA is supporting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the state and local government in providing relief to those affected by the water contamination.
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