Health Disparities Workgroup Update

Last October more than 60 Bronx Health REACH Coalition members and community residents held a Not62 Rally on the steps of the Bronx Supreme Court calling on the Mayor, the Governor and all elected leaders to make the health of the Bronx a priority. They chanted, '62 will not do! We can do better! We must do better!'

Earlier this year the the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation along with the University of Wisconsin released the 2019 County Health Rankings Report. And, as in past reports, the Bronx was ranked the unhealthiest county in New York State, i.e. 62 out of the 62 New York State counties. To address the Bronx being the unhealthiest county, the Bronx Health REACH Coalition through its Health Disparities Workgroup took action in March and April to determine the best ways to engage New York elected officials to make the health of the Bronx a policy priority, and a funding priority.

New York State Assemblymember Victor M. Pichardo attended the March 2019 Health Disparities Workgroup meeting (see below for more details) as well as leaders from Bronx Community Boards #5 and #7. The representatives from the Community Boards shared with the Workgroup the challenges they faced including informing Bronx residents of the various services that are available to improve their health. The Community Boards would like to partner with other stakeholders to address health disparities in the Bronx and will work with the Health Disparities Workgroup to get more community participation at community board meetings.

In April, Baretto Bay Strategies, an urban solutions consulting firm that provides strategic advice to public agencies and community development organizations, led an interactive workshop to help the Workgroup create a better strategy to engage elected officials in the #Not62 - The Campaign for a Healthy Bronx. Baretto created an Action Agenda to determine which issues should be addressed and how to identify those individuals who would be allies in addressing the health challenges faced by Bronx residents. A draft SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis was created to help members determine if our target was too big and develop a time frame for reaching our goals. The Workgroup will use the Action Agenda in the coming months to determine the best strategy to promote health equity in the Bronx.

At the May meeting many long time Health Disparities Workgroup members reflected on the loss of Pastor Foley, but found a renewed sense of commitment to keep his legacy alive. Workgroup members vowed to continue to keep the pressure on our elected officials to improve not only the ranking of the Bronx, but the health and well-being of all Bronx residents.

These two workshops were the last efforts of Pastor Foley’s work with Bronx Health REACH before he died.  His leadership will be sorely missed.

If you would like to attend our next Health Disparities Workgroup meeting, join us on Friday, July 12 at 1:00 p.m., at Mt. Zion CME Church, (1148 Elder Avenue), Bronx NY 10472.

Assemblymember Pichardo Visits Health Disparities Workgroup Partner Bodega and School

New York State Assemblymember Victor M. Pichardo attended March's Bronx Health REACH Health Disparities Workgroup meeting. 

In March New York State Assemblymember Victor M. Pichardo (86th District) attended several Bronx Health REACH events, including: our March Health Disparities Workgroup meeting, a visit to a  Bronx Health REACH partner bodega, G Deli; and a visit to PS 58, one of our partner schools.

At the Workgroup meeting, the Assemblymember provided insight in ways the Workgroup could create more awareness about the  #Not62 campaign, especially with elected officials. He also shared how important it is for Bronx residents to register to vote, and then to vote. "Until more Bronx residents get out and vote, the Bronx will continue to remain the unhealthiest county," noted the Assemblyman.

Marquis Garcia, owner of G Deli, a partner bodega in the Healthy Bodega Program spoke with New York State Assemblyman Victor M. Pichardo.

His visit to one of our partner bodegas in the Healthy Bodega program, G Deli, located at 551 East 178th Street, gave owner Marquis Garcia the chance to tell the Assemblyman about the 'Don't Stress, Eat Fresh' healthy bodega campaign. Mr. Garcia spoke of his and the Bodega Association’s commitment to offering healthy foods to customers who ask for them.

At PS58 the Assemblymember spoke with Principal Gunn, Assistant Principal Ramdas, PE teacher Mr. Judson, and Parent Coordinator Ms. Harris about the work they have been able to put in place for physical education and promoting healthy eating with existing resources. The school’s physical education teacher was brought on as a result of the PE4ALL Coalition’s successful campaign to the New York City Council which resulted in more certified PE teachers for more schools. Unfortunately, Ms. Gunn related, with the funding running out, she fears she will no longer be able to keep the teacher on staff. She worries, as many school administrators do, that cuts to the PE funding for her school will have negative implications for her students’ overall wellness.

Faith-Based Organizations Tackle Hypertension in the Bronx

This post was written by Bronx Health REACH staff member Immaculada Moronta.

I witnessed firsthand the impact and power of the churches in tackling hypertension! Coordinating Bronx Health REACH’s Faith Based Outreach Initiative for several years now focusing on promoting healthy eating, physical activity opportunities and educating the community about healthy eating, our partner churches through the years have never disappointed. Their work on the Faith Based Hypertension Program was no exception.

The Institute for Family Health/Bronx Health REACH’s (BHR) Faith Based Hypertension Initiative (FBHI), was funded in 2018 by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, as part of their Take the Pressure Off, NYC!- an initiative focused on preventing and controlling high blood pressure. The FBHI was modeled, with some modification, on the Fine, Fit and Fabulous (FFF) program BHR developed and led several years ago. Fine Fit and Fabulous was a 12 week diabetes prevention program emphasizing nutrition, faith as a motivator, group discussions and program buddy support system.

The FBHI was a 7 week session focused on treatment adherence and nutrition education based on the DASH (Dietary Approach to STOP Hypertension) Eating Plan for managing and lowering high blood pressure among African American and Latinos in the Bronx. BHR partnered with five churches with each responsible for recruiting Peer Educators (PEs) to be trained to run the program at their respective church with 10-15 participants currently prescribed high blood pressure medication.

Two partner churches continue to build on the FBHI. They are Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus and Friendly Baptist Church. Deacon Dorothy Faison, a PE with Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus, explained her recruitment process included making announcements during Sunday morning service. She was surprised at how many congregants replied to her; members that she had known for years, but was unaware that they had hypertension. “This program started the dialogue. As a church it is part of our culture to know the members on a very personal level. We care for the people that we serve and it is embedded in our faith. When you care about family, you care about their well-being which includes their health. I had never before led a program like this. It offered me the opportunity to build a different rapport with the congregation, a different sense of responsibility and leadership that I was not used to regardless of my role in the congregation. I learned during the training different ways to relate to the members of the congregation.”

She explained that she now leads a follow up session every 6-7 weeks. “We have a buddy system, where we have designated members as partners to follow up with each other. We didn’t want the program to end. Members were interested in what they learned and wished we had a second version to build on the first one.”

The PE with Friendly Baptist Church, Royal Eason, a retired veteran, explained, “This is the first time I completed a training like this. It was a great experience! I did not know that I had this ability. Now that the program is done, a lot of them [participants] want to continue the program. They still want us to have the session at bible study after it was done. I still try to talk to them about what they have learned and make sure they are still applying what they took from the program.”

67 participants completed the program proving that faith based organizations are fully capable of reaching and effectively lead health focused program in underserved communities with approximately . 10-15 participants per church. The impact of the initiative included the following:  increase participants’ blood pressure monitoring, weight loss, taking their medication daily, improved eating habits and a decrease in sodium intake.

Though for many of the PEs this was the first time they had completed this type of training; with no hesitation they took the challenge head on. They engaged and followed up with their community. The FBOI proving once again that they can be key in health promotion in underserved communities.

Remembering Pastor Robert Lewis Foley, Sr.

In 2017, Bronx Health REACH Director Charmaine Ruddock presented an award to Pastor Robert Lewis Foley, Sr., D. Min, D.D. Pastor of Bronx Health REACH Coalition partner church Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus for his commitment to making health equality a reality in the Bronx. The award was presented at a ceremony commemorating his many years of service as pastor of Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus.


With the sudden and untimely death of Pastor Robert Lewis Foley, Sr., D. Min, D.D. Pastor of Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus in the Bronx on Friday, April 26th, Bronx Health REACH lost one of its founding leaders and a giant in the effort to make the Bronx a place of health, and wellness and justice for all. Pastor Foley had been a partner with Bronx Health REACH for almost twenty years, since its start as a small community coalition led by the Institute for Family Health with the goal of eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities in the South Bronx.

Pastor Foley's exceptional leadership, vision and commitment to making health equality a reality in the Bronx was rooted in his early history of civil rights activism in the South. Coming to the Bronx in the 1970’s, he continued his efforts on social and racial justice advocating for long term sustainable change to the conditions that contribute to Bronx residents living sicker and dying younger than they should.

In addition to his work with Bronx Health REACH, he had been a leader and founding member of the Black United Leadership in the Bronx (BULB) and served as a member of the Community Advisory Board of Montefiore Hospital, the Advisory Board of the Bronx Region of the American Cancer Society, the New York Yankees Community Relations Council, and the Police/Clergy Liaison for the 52nd Precinct in the Bronx.

On Sunday, May 5th, hundreds gathered for his funeral service at Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus to pay homage to him. Bronx Health REACH's Charmaine Ruddock, Council Member Fernando Cabrera and Rev. Dr. J. Albert Bush, Sr., Pastor of Walker Memorial Baptist Church, and a longtime partner of Bronx Health REACH remembered this amazing man and his many contributions to the community he served so faithfully.

You can read a profile of Pastor Foley by clicking here, and view Pastor Foley in a recently completed video and a 2009 CNN segment.