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June 21, 2011
As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, I am delighted to announce the official opening (see ribbon-cutting photos below) of Elizabeth Health Center, located on the grounds of the Elizabeth Learning Center in Cudahy. Our 12th clinic, NECC-EHC, a collaboration between our organization and LAUSD, is located at 4811 Elizabeth Street in Cudahy.
Now 40 years old, NECC will focus its vision on a comprehensive wellness program partnering with LAUSD and other community based organizations. Patients will have a multidisciplinary approach to promoting wellness, not just diagnosing diseases.
Health centers, primary care and prevention are at the heart of an affordable, accessible, health care system. Like all NECC clinics, NECC-EHC will expand access to care by helping people in need -- many with no health insurance -- obtain access to comprehensive primary and preventive health care services. And that helps relieve the burden on emergency rooms which have become primary care clinics for too many that lack coverage.”
The mission of Northeast Community Clinics is to provide comprehensive, quality health care in a linguistically competent and culturally sensitive manner to patients, regardless of their ability to pay, in the indigent communities of Los Angeles.
Elizabeth Health Center will treat adults as well as children. Hours are: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Be well,
Christopher Lau, MD
NECC Executive Director/CEO
 A colorful four-part plate, with a side dish of dairy, has replaced the 19-year-old food pyramid as the icon of the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
The new icon, called "My Plate," is split into four sections -- red for fruits, green for vegetables, orange for grains, and purple for protein -- with a separate blue section for dairy on the side.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled the icon at a news conference last week. He said the food pyramid was "simply too complex to serve as a quick and easy guide for American families."
At the news conference, first lady Michelle Obama praised My Plate as "a wonderful, kid-friendly tool" that's practical for busy families.
"What's more simple than a plate?" she asked. "I'm confident that families will find this useful. They can start using this today."
The Obamas are already doing so. "Trust me: We are implementing this in our household," Obama said.
The icon represents more than the currently recommended diet. It's part of a drastic change. The old plan was to provide information. The new plan is to actively change American eating behavior, using all the tools of modern persuasion.
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