Lake Saint Louis, Mo. - The not-for-profit North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC) will soon offer two new programs in St. Charles County for low to moderate income residents from its new community health satellite center in Lake Saint Louis. The new satellite center is located at 1311 Lake Saint Louis Boulevard in the strip mall next to the Denny's Restaurant.
NECAC recently signed a contract with the Missouri Health Department to administer and operate the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program in the county and another contract with the Missouri Family Health Council to administer and operate the Family Planning Program in the county.
NECAC is a 12-county area social service, community health and public housing agency that serves the needs of the low-income, elderly, youth, handicapped and disadvantaged. The agency provides its services through partnership contracts and grants with government agencies, private businesses and other nonprofit organizations.
The agency will continue to operate all its other social service and public housing programs from the main NECAC St. Charles County Service Center located in O'Fallon.
The WIC programs is a nutrition education, health promotion and supplemental food program serving women who are pregnant, breast-feeding or have had a baby within the last six months, and infants and children up to age five.
Participants must meet the program's income guidelines and be determined by a health professional to be at nutritional risk. WIC provides foods high in protein, iron, calcium and vitamins. Eligible women and children receive fortified milk and cheese, eggs, hot or cold cereals, fruit juices and dried beans or peas. Participants receive vouchers to buy foods at authorized local dealers.
The Family Planning services include gynecologic exams, birth control services and education, cancer screenings, Pap smears and breast exams, pregnancy testing, counseling and referrals, prenatal education, urinary tract diagnosis and treatment, HIV testing, counseling and referrals, sexually-transmitted infection testing and treatment, information on vasectomy and tubal ligation, and cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension screenings.
The goal of the program is to reduce unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The cost to clients is based on a sliding scale and the ability to pay. State and federal funding is used to help offset costs for clients who cannot afford to pay.
In 2007, NECAC began offering a free vaccine that can help prevent cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer in women under the age of 45. The HPV or human papillomavirus vaccine is available for females ages nine to 26 who are uninsured; do not qualify for the federally funded Vaccines for Children program, or who have insurance that does not cover the vaccine.
Appointments for the Family Planning Program and WIC are now being taken by calling 636-561-0521 or toll free at 866-516-7977 with service to begin on Feb. 13.
