The Voices of Melrose

In 2015, Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco) will open a new development in Melrose called the Bronx Commons.  Melrose, which is located in the nation’s poorest congressional district, has a high poverty rate and a young population. More than 1 out of 3 Melrose residents are under 19 years old and according to the NYC Department of City Planning, almost 2 out of 3 receive some income support.  Additionally, there are high crime rates and very few recreation centers and places that sell healthy food.

According to WHEDco’s website, the Bronx Commons will be a “361,600 square foot mixed-use development which includes affordable housing; the Bronx Music Heritage Center, a community performance and event space; a rooftop urban farm including a hydroponic greenhouse; a grocer offering healthy food options; and green recreational space.”  

The Bronx Commons will be a welcome site for the community. However, WHEDco wants to do more than just create a building; they want to enhance the entire community.  Modeled after their community development work around Intervale Green (2544 Valentine Ave, Bronx, NY 10458), another affordable housing development in the South Bronx, WHEDco is working with Bronx Health REACH to do a comprehensive needs assessment of Melrose to identify other resources that the community needs.  A needs assessment is a way of asking residents what types of services and programs their community needs with the goal of incorporating them into community improvement plans. This needs assessment includes: meetings with organizations and residents, developing and distributing a survey, analyzing and sharing the findings with the community, and working with community residents and organizations to develop and implement projects that improve the health and wellness of the community. 

We met with 10 organizations this summer, including FEGs, the Bronx Defenders, Montefiore, and Bronx Community 3.  In late September/early October, we organized community meetings at three locations: the Classic Center at the Melrose Houses, DreamYard Project, and SoBRO.  The meetings focused on 8 different themes, including: crime and safety, youth programs, adult education, jobs, and re-entry programs, health (food access and green space), culture and business.  The meetings provided a space for community members to talk about what they felt were the major issues in their community and share ideas about how to fix them.   Below is a summary of the some of what we heard.

Crime and Safety: There is a spiraling effect around crime and safety.  There are not enough activities for youth, so they turn to crime as an alternative.  When there is violence, people begin closing facilities to make the community safer.  However, these areas could be used to run programs or simply offer a safe space for adolescents to congregate.  When these spaces close, more teens are unable to access these resources and end up following their peers “down the rabbit hole”. 

The stories told by the attendees were tough to hear.  Children as young as 12 are wielding guns, shootings happening just as schools are letting out, abandoned basket ball courts because shootouts are expected there; and the reports of police responsiveness were just as bad.  The lack of care many people perceived by the investigating officers was depressing. It makes one feel as though the police have given up on the neighborhood.  

Youth Programs: After school programs are great, but what happens when kids age-out?   Youth aging out of programs at 16 means that they have more free time to engage in “bad” activities.  Creating new opportunities to engage teens is important in ensuring that they stay out of trouble and encourages healthy development.  For example, setting up an apprenticeship program where adults with marketable skills and professional experience can mentor and train youth would be ideal for skills development, providing teens with hands-on training in areas in which they are interested.  Additionally, providing programs for teens to learn more about safe sex, preventing abuse, and leadership skills will foster a generation of healthy, motivated and responsible youth with the ability to change their own lives as well as their community.

However, there is a lot that stands in the ways of these programs.  Lack of funding means there is no way to buy equipment and the lack of space means there is nowhere to house the programs.  Many spaces that could be utilized are closed due to criminal activity, a consequence of unengaged youth. Remember that spiral I mentioned earlier?!

Adult Education, Jobs and Re-Entry Programs: Adult education is vital to employment, but with a busy schedule and ever changing financial and social landscapes, many people cannot dedicate themselves to fulltime classes.  Thus, it is important that these opportunities are flexible enough to accommodate the ever-changing needs of the students. Job trainings should be offered for individuals to acquire new skills that will open doors to higher paying, living wage jobs. Job recruitment centers, like Workforce 1, should open up a new location so that more people can access these resources. Along with this, job fairs should be provided for individuals seeking employment.

In addition to jobs, re-entry programs need to be updated in the Melrose area.  Helping individuals find jobs and stay clean and sober is essential to preventing recidivism.  Without these services, individuals often turn to crime as a means for survival. Having mentoring and counseling programs located in easily accessible places, such as in housing units, is essential to aiding re-entering individuals to stay out of the criminal justice system.

Health (Food access and Green Space): Fresh produce is so hard to come by that one person referred to the area as a “Health Food Desert.”  The attendees called for more locations selling fruits and vegetables such as Green Carts and restaurant offering healthier options, like Chopped, a chain restaurant in Manhattan that sells affordable salads. 

Along with fruits and vegetables being difficult to find, the prices for these items is also higher than in other areas. Grocery stores should be encouraged and incentivized to not only offer fresh produce, but to price it fairly so that it is both accessible and affordable.

Green places, not empty spaces – parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, community gardens and the like need to be established to offer residents a chance to smell the roses, literally.  Attendees also called for educational programs to be run throughout these establishments to teach youth and adults about the world around them. Most importantly, these places need to be OPEN to the public so that they  can be enjoyed by all, not just one particular group!

Culture and Business: Attendees noted that establishments dedicated to cultural expression are few and far between.  In fact, three community centers have closed in the area, reducing the availability of activities such as open mikes, poetry readings, performance spaces, etc. While residents noted that the DreamYard Project was a great asset, they spoke of the need for more of these programs.  Additionally, programming aimed at engaging adults and developmentally disabled population needs to be created.  

In respect to businesses, the Melrose area has a ‘money leakage’ problem.  With the lack of “Big Box” stores in the areas, such as the Gap, Old Navy, etc. many residents prefer to travel to Manhattan to shop.  This means that the businesses in Melrose are missing much of those consumer dollars.  One remedy is to bring higher quality, name brand shopping options to the area and update current businesses to attract shoppers.  In addition, adding entertainment venues i.e. more movie theatres, book stores, bowling alleys, and live theatre performance spaces are needed to promote safe options for recreation and to keep residents spending their hard earned money in their own community. SoBRO has been trying to do this for a long time, but hasn’t had much success.  They hope through partnering with WHEDco and other organizations in this effort, the tide will turn.

Please join the conversation!  Do you have an opinion about what the Melrose community needs? Look out for our survey or email erodgers@institute2000.org with "Melrose Needs Assessment" as the subject title. 

This blog post was written by Caroline Dunn, a first year student at Silberman School of Social Work and intern at Bronx Health REACH.

4 Prominent Bronx Organizations Adopt Smoke-Free Outdoor Air Policies

We are proud to announce the newest additions to the growing list of organizations dedicated to reducing exposure to deadly secondhand smoke and improving the health of Bronx residents.  The Bronx YMCA, the Mary Mitchell Family & Youth Center, Kingsbridge Heights Community Center and Archdiocese of New York Drug Abuse Prevention Program (ADAPP) signed smoke-free outdoor air policies this fall for their grounds and entryways.  Smoke-free policies protect the health of an organization’s members and employees.

Sharlene Brown, the Executive Director of the Bronx YMCA, commented, “The Bronx YMCA is proud to declare the outdoor space of our facility as a ‘clean air zone.’  Through the Smoke-Free Outdoor Air Policy, the Bronx Y aims to improve the health of our members.”   Ms. Brown went on to point out that, “As people enjoy the health benefits of smoke-free areas indoors, it is only natural that the Bronx YMCA would want our members to enjoy those same benefits in our outdoor areas, especially as this is where our members gather during the spring and summer months.”

Charmaine Ruddock, Director of Bronx Health REACH, noted that “The commitment to create smoke-free environments demonstrates to the employees, the people who use their services and to the Bronx community at large the priority these organizations place on their health and wellness.”

Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke is harmful to individuals, causing changes in the upper airways and prompting more frequent asthma attacks in children with asthma.  Joanne Timmins, Community Organizer for the Throggs Neck Community Action Partnership, a program under the auspice of ADAPP, remarked, “I appreciate the commitment and concern of my workplace to protect me from the harms of second-hand smoke.” 

“By adopting outdoor air policies, these four organizations are being leaders in the Bronx community,” said Lisa Spitzner, Borough Manager of the Bronx Smoke-Free Partnership, which is part of the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City.  “Their decision to go smoke-free demonstrates their commitment to the health and safety of their staff and the many community members who enjoy their facilities.  We hope they will serve as shining examples to all their Bronx neighbors.”  

The Bronx YMCA, the Mary Mitchell Family & Youth Center, Kingsbridge Heights Community Center and ADAPP join Montefiore Hospital, CUNY, and the Riverdale YMCA in adopting a smoke-free outdoor air policy for their grounds and entryways.  In addition to the many health benefits, smoke-free entryway and grounds reduce cigarette litter and fire hazards.  The Partnership for a Healthier Bronx and Bronx Smoke-Free Partnership provide free support and technical assistance to organizations interested in adopting smoke-free policies for their grounds and entryways. This includes providing free smoking cessation services for members and staff as well as developing personalized signage and materials. 

For more information, please visit www.NYCSmokeFree.org/smoke-free-outdoor-spaces or contact Emma Rodgers at erodgers@institute2000.org or (212) 633-0800 x1249

 

School Wellness in the Bronx

Bronx Health REACH has expended significant amount of energy and effort on school wellness initiatives. These have included the implementation of school wellness policies emphasizing the importance of nutrition education, healthier food offerings, physical activity, and physical education.

To achieve school wellness goals, Bronx Health REACH is working through Healthy Schools NY to change wellness policies in local schools. The Healthy Schools NY program helps schools:

·         Assess their current health and wellness policies in terms of their strengths and weaknesses
·         Develop and improve current school wellness policies that involve nutrition and fitness
·         Establish a School Wellness Council consisting of administrators, staff, students, parents, and community members
·         Develop implementation strategies for communicating and enforcing school wellness policies
·         Share successes, challenges, and experiences with other schools throughout the city

We are encouraging schools to create a personalized wellness policy by filling out a Wellness Policy Template. This template will help each school assess its own wellness environment and understand the changes that may need to take place to improve school wellness. After receiving training and resources, School Wellness Councils can then help create and implement wellness initiatives unique to their respective school.

Many Bronx and New York City schools have been doing outstanding work through their School Wellness Councils. To support their work many schools have applied and received funding from the Department of Education’s School Wellness Council Grant program. Recently, on June 6^th, the outstanding work of these schools was publicly acknowledged with their receipt of the Excellence in School Wellness Awards.  The Award is part of a collaborative effort with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and a number of community based health advocates to acknowledge the actions of many schools to make their schools a place of wellness.

Congratulations to all the schools who received awards.  As you can imagine, we are especially proud of our Bronx school recipients.

On June 6^th, at the Excellence in School Wellness Awards Ceremony, NYC Health Commissioner Thomas Farley, MD stands with representatives from the schools  who won awards.
Listed below are all the Bronx winners!

·       Gold Award: Mott Haven Academy Charter School, PS 23 The New Children's School, PS 28X Mount Hope Centennial School, PS 443 The Family School, PS 457 The Sheridan Academy for Young Leaders, PS 55 The Benjamin Franklin School, PS 69 Journey Prep, PS 85 Great Expectations, PS/MS 218 Rafael Hernandez Dual Language Magnet School, Success Academy Charter School Bronx 2

·        Silver Award: CS 61 The Francisco Oller School, PS 114X Luis Llorens Torres Children's Academy, PS 205 Fiorello LaGuardia, PS/MS 95 The Sheila Mencher Van Cortlandt School

·        Bronze Award: PS 1 Courtlandt School, PS 36 The Rising Stars School, PS 555 Mount Eden Children's Academy, PS 94 Kings College School

·         Honorable Mention: PS 64 Pura Belpre Elementary School

PS/MS 218 students entered the School Wellness Contest for the citywide school calendar.

At JHS 145’s Garden to Café Harvest event, students enjoyed bok choy and radishes prepared by DOE Office of School Food Bronx Regional Chef Deb Cahill and NYC Office of School Food Executive Chef Jorge Collazo.

 

Lourdes Rodriguez and Donna Orr from Health Opportunities High School pose with the Super Sprowtz carrot! Super Sprowtz uses media to educate children on nutrition, wellness, and the environment.

To learn more about current school wellness initiatives and ways that your school can benefit from wellness programs, here are some resources:

·      Learn more about what Excellence in School Wellness Gold Award schools such as Bedford-Stuyvesant’s PS 54 have been doing to improve health and wellness. The District Public Health Offices in NYC are working on an Excellence in School Wellness Award Resource Guide and will disseminate it to schools during the summer. Please note that the Excellence in School Wellness Awards criteria will be revised for the 2013-2014 school year.

·      The Office of School Wellness is working on creating a portal where schools can track their progress on the School Wellness Scorecard. Visit their website to learn about the School Wellness Council Grant program and create a personalized School Action Plan.

·      Through the funding from the Whole Kids Foundation, FoodFight is offering Teacher Wellness Workshops to public schools in New York City.  This program is FREE—but only for a limited time. Sign up now while the program is still being funded! 

Bronx Health REACH’s efforts to support school wellness programs will now be supplemented through a partnership with the National REACH Coalition. Through this initiative, we hope to engage NYC school principals, teachers, nurses, and parent coordinators in promoting wellness and nutrition education efforts in their schools.

For more information about Bronx Health REACH’s school wellness program efforts, please contact Kelly Moltzen at kmoltzen@institute2000.org or 212-633-0800 x 1328.

Bronx Medical Student and Parents Partner to Reduce Diabetes in the Bronx

I finished my first year of medical school a couple of weeks ago.  Needless to say, I learned A LOT.  One disease that came up in multiple courses is diabetes.  This is unsurprising considering it is a disease that affects over 25 million people in the United States and leads to various serious complications, including high blood pressure, blindness and heart disease.  It is also the number one cause of kidney failure (National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2011). I spent hours studying diabetes, learned how doctors help their patients manage the disease and saw the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes in the emergency room, including serious infections requiring amputations.  

This month, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released a report on diabetes-related deaths in New York City (Diabetes-Related Mortality in New York City). According to the report, diabetes-related deaths in New York City are rising. What is more upsetting, although not surprising, is the tremendous difference in numbers of deaths across neighborhoods.  Less people in wealthier communities die of diabetes-related illnesses than low-income neighborhoods. For example, Murray Hill, a wealthy Manhattan neighborhood, had the lowest number of deaths (19 deaths per 100,000).   Greenwich Village/SOHO, the Upper East Side and Chelsea, followed with deaths reaching 27 per 100,000.  However, in Brownsville (Brooklyn) and Mott Haven (Bronx), two low-income neighborhoods, there were 150 deaths per 100,000 and 177 deaths per 100,000 respectively. Finally, diabetes-related deaths were highest among non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics.  

Despite coming across diabetes several times in my school curriculum, there wasn’t any discussion about disparities in diabetes.  In fact, health disparities didn’t make it into the general curriculum at all.   I only learned about health disparities through involvement in electives and clubs.  I am now happy to be working with Bronx Health REACH and Physicians for a National Health Program this summer and am looking forward to exploring the many initiatives throughout NYC that are highlighting and addressing health disparities.  

Managing a chronic disease like diabetes is a challenge.  For individuals in lower income neighborhoods, the challenges may be far greater.   Access to healthy food, quality healthcare and a safe environment for exercise determines who is more likely to get diabetes and impacts the ability of an individual who has diabetes, to manage it.

Last week, as part of the Bronx Community Conversations for Change initiative, I co-facilitated a meeting with parents at the Mid Bronx Early Childhood Center in the Highbridge community of the Bronx about healthy eating.  When asked about challenges to eating healthy in their neighborhood, parents noted that fast food and liquor stores are everywhere, but fruits and vegetables are hard to find, expensive and usually not fresh.  Also, they expressed frustration over the disappearance of an affordable fruit stand that sold fresh fruits and expressed disappointment over the options available at their local bodegas. One parent commented, “At BJs people buy fruits and vegetables even if they weren’t planning on it, because it looks good.”  Finally, some parents agreed that even if the bodegas in the area did begin to sell produce they would be hesitant to purchase the items, because of the conditions of the stores, i.e. lots of cats, rodents, and pests.

That being said, the parents had plenty of great ideas for changes that would promote healthy eating in their neighborhood, including: selling fruit platters, ready to eat meals, prepared salads and fresher fruits at bodegas; providing more cooking demonstrations using culturally sensitive specific foods; creating a mandate for stores to serve healthy options; and making existing fruit and vegetable sections more attractive.  I am excited to work with these parents this summer to bring about some of these changes.

Addressing health disparities is going to take a collaborative effort by health providers, community members, food distributors, public policy decision makers, educators and EVERYONE ELSE.  Join in the conversation.  

To learn more about the initiatives to get healthier food into your neighborhood, please contact Hannah Moreira at hmoeira@institute2000.org

This blogpost was written by Hannah Moreira, a second year medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and intern at Bronx Health REACH.

 

Bronx Health REACH Annual Pastor’s Breakfast

When I started working in the HealthCorp program at Bronx Health REACH last September, I had a basic idea of what a community coalition was. However, after working with the Bronx Health REACH Faith-Based Outreach Initiative (FBOI), a coalition of 47 churches in the Bronx, I have seen how much power there can be in a community coalition and, more importantly, how crucial a coalition is for community change. 

On May 3^rd, Bronx Health REACH held its annual pastor’s breakfast to honor the work done by the churches over the last ten years and discuss the future of the coalition. Below is a list of some of the churches’ achievements:

• Established health ministries and culinary committees to improve policies and practices for selecting, preparing, and serving healthy meals to their congregations.
• Organized health activities such as Fine, Fit and Fabulous, a nutrition and fitness program, and The Way, a support program for congregants living with diabetes.
• Distributed 42,792 pieces of health education literature.
• Held 1,671 events, including workshops, presentations and health fairs, reaching 32,574 community residents.
• Delivered over 600 health and health equality-related sermons reaching an average of 5,970 congregants per month.
  

These activities led to healthier eating habits, weight loss, and better diabetic health outcomes among church congregants and increased physical activity in the community.

In addition to nutrition and fitness programs, the churches have played a key role in Bronx Health REACH’s Segregated Care Campaign, which seeks to address the unequal delivery of outpatient health services in hospitals across New York though a state-level bill that would require hospitals to treat everyone in the same setting, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or insurance type.  Since 2007, the FBOI coalition has mobilized and educated over 5,000 clergy members to promote equal access to care in New York City. 

During the meeting, Dr. Neil Calman, President/CEO of the Institute for Family Health, along with Reverend Dr. Foley from Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus and Shena Elrington, the Director of the Health Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, gave inspiring speeches to continue the coalition’s efforts.  Also, several other pastors gave messages of support for the campaign and offered valuable insight and strategies for the faith-based community to continue the fight against powerful interests that support separate and unequal specialty care in New York City, including:

• Identifying congregants who have experiences separate and unequal medical care and encourage them to share their stories with us.
• Inviting Bronx Health REACH representatives to future clergy and community meetings to talk about segregated care. 
• Educating elected officials about the issue of segregated care and its impact on the congregation members, their constituents.

At the pastor’s breakfast, it was clear that despite its accomplishments, the coalition’s job is far from over.  There is still a lot of work to be done within the individual churches and throughout the community. What was also clear was the coalition’s commitment to continue its efforts to make health equality a reality through the power and leadership of our faith-based community.

For more information about the FBOI coalition and the Segregated Care Campaign, please email yholland@institute2000.org or call (212) 633-0800 x1232

This blogpost was written by Luis Arzaluz, a HealthCorp member at Bronx Health REACH.