When the 117-year-old Hudson Dispatch was sold in 1986, it seemed that headlines would never again be generated at its printing press building at 407 39th St. in Union City. But on Tuesday morning, new life was breathed into the building when North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC) – a government-funded health agency for needy people – held a ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening for its newsworthy, state-of-the-art Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) center.
WIC is a federal grant program administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides nutritious food vouchers as well as nutrition education and referrals to health and social services for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children.
“This is an example of how communities work together. This is the product we get.” – Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner
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It contains state-of-the art technology, larger classrooms, private consultation rooms, and a breastfeeding lounge.
The WIC program
Currently, NHCAC boasts the fifth largest WIC program in the state in terms of enrollment, with 12,000 enrollees and approximately 200 visits a day.
To be eligible for the program, applicants must meet the following four criteria: live in the state; have a household income at less than 185 percent of poverty guidelines; have a “nutritional need or risk,” and be a pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum woman, or an infant or child under 5.
If their application is approved, participants will then be granted access to WIC’s various nutrition-geared programs.
The free program includes nutrition education through individual counseling and group sessions, monthly vouchers for WIC authorized nutritious foods, and breastfeeding promotion and support.
NHCAC’s WIC program has been especially successful in terms of breastfeeding promotion, with 85 percent of its participants breastfeeding, versus the state’s 59 percent.
Participants are also privy to information and referrals to other NHCAC health centers and CAP programs, which include Immigration, Children First, Head Start and Early Head Start, Emergency Food and Shelter, Job Placement, Mental Health, and Tenant/Landlord Relations.
Gold standard of care
“[NHCAC] has come a long way in the past 10 years,” said NHCAC Board of Directors Chairperson Joanna Martin, “and this facility proves it.”
Steps toward the new site were first taken two years ago, when NHCAC applied for the adjustment operational grant with the USDA.
“The move to this new facility was necessitated by our rapid enrollment growth, and we are anticipating even more growth in the coming years,” said NHCAC President and CEO Christopher Irizarry.
After obtaining the grant and gaining the appropriate city permits, NHCAC started putting the location together in November, finishing this January.
With the new site,” Irizarry said, “we anticipate…we’ll become the largest [WIC program] in the state.”
Irizarry also took the chance to thank NHCAC staff members who, day after day, treat clients “with respect and dignity.”
“We have always provided quality service…striving to make it a place for…people to come and feel wanted,” he said.
According to Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack, “[NHCAC] is the answer to a lot of health care problems we have,” and he hopes to receive additional funding from the state.
According to USDA Acting Deputy Director Roberta E. Waggoner, NHCAC’s quality of care for women and infants is evident – from the numbers participating, to the new site, to the commitment of the staff.
“I cover nine states in the mid-Atlantic region and I’ve never been to one that looks like this,” Waggoner told the crowd. “It’s just the beginning for a great run here.”
A united front
Federal, local, and state officials came out for the grand opening, as did members of the U.S. Agriculture Department and from the state WIC – representing the many agencies and individuals instrumental to the new NHCAC WIC center’s success.
“This was not an easy task,” said Director of NHCAC programs Rosemary Lavagnino, who is also a Weehawken councilwoman. “We had a pool of very talented people working with us.”
Thanks were given to Morrissey Architects of Cliffside Park for the design of the building, East Coast Electrical General Contractors, and the landlord of the property.
Gratitude was also extended to WIC representatives, the NHCAC board of directors, Irizarry, Congressman Albio Sires, Hudson County clerk Barbara Netchert, Sheriff Frank Schilarri, Mayor Brian P. Stack, and Mayor Richard Turner, among many others.
“In North Hudson, we have the most shared services of any place in the state,” Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said. “This is an example of how communities work together. This is the product we get.”
Deanna Cullen can be reached at dcullen@hudsonreporter.com.