Central California Alliance for Health | Living Healthy | March 2018

WIC works! The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program has been helping families for the last 40 years. WIC is a public health nutrition program made up of a team of health care workers dedicated to improving health. Who qualifies? ■  ■ Women who are pregnant, are breastfeeding or just had a baby ■  ■ Children under 5 years old (as well as foster children) ■  ■ Families with low to medium income (working families may qualify) How canWIC help? ■  ■ Nutrition education ■  ■ Food vouchers ■  ■ Breastfeeding education and support ■  ■ Referrals for health care and community resources They also have classes on how to start healthy habits and keep them for life. Those who work at WIC have a goal of making you feel that you are not alone. They help make our communities healthier! If you need help with food, have questions about foods you should eat during pregnancy, need breastfeeding support or would like to know more about how your child is growing, call your local WIC. They are here to help! How do I contact WIC? ■  ■ Call: 1-888-WIC-WORKS or 1-888-942-9675 ■  ■ Visit: morehealth.org/ cdph.ca.gov/WIC B oth hospice and palliative care aim to relieve a patient’s pain and distress and improve quality of life. Both rely on a team approach, where medical professionals and the patient’s loved ones work together. But while palliative care is for anyone at any stage of an illness, regardless of life expectancy, hospice is for people in their last months, weeks or days of life. The Alliance covers hospice care and palliative care. If you or a loved one has a serious illness, it may help to know that this care is available and the services each type provides. Palliative care Hospice care For patients who have a serious illness that causes pain or other distress (including emotional distress). For patients who need care in the last six months of life, when they stop treatments aimed at curing them. Relieves symptoms caused by the illness—or by treatments for that illness, such as pain after surgery. Gives compassionate care that allows patients to die with dignity. Given at home or in a care facility, such as a hospital or a doctor’s office. Given where the patient lives. Offers help with coping with a diagnosis—or with sticking to the treatment plan. Offers physical, spiritual and emotional support. It also gives comfort to loved ones. If you have questions about these benefits, please talk to your doctor. If you need help finding a provider, you can call Alliance Member Services at 1-800-700-3874 , Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sources: Center to Advance Palliative Care; National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Hospice and palliative care living healthy 2 family health