Several thousand Flint, Mich., residents will be able to be tested for lead in their blood for free under a plan the Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.
The USDA said as many as 3,800 participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, could be tested.
The USDA did not immediately release how much money would be made available for the tests to take place.
The department also announced measures to expand access to healthy food that could mitigate the effects of lead in the blood of children.
Twenty-eight schools in Flint, with more than 144,000 students, will be able to go into the Community Eligibility Provision program. That program ensures all children who attend public schools can receive a free meal.
In addition, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service confirmed that vendors at Flint’s farmers market would accept food stamp benefits for foods with high Vitamin C, iron and calcium content. Those vitamins and minerals are known to mitigate the effects of lead.
“Our goal is simple: to encourage folks to maximize the healthy foods they have available in order to mitigate the effects of lead,” said Dr. Kathryn Wilson, deputy secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services at the USDA. “We’re working in partnership with other federal agencies to make every possible resource available to help.”
