Fresh Food, Fresh Attitude! Increasing Access to Healthy Grab-and-Go Items at Bronx Bodegas

William is the owner of Makey Deli, located at 2704 Third Avenue in the Bronx.

This post was written by Kelly Moltzen, Program Manager for Bronx Health REACH’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities.

On average, Americans eat more than 3,400 mg. of sodium daily – more than double the American Heart Association’s recommended daily limit of 1,500 mg. 77% of the sodium that Americans consume comes from processed foods and food served in restaurants.

In the Bronx, items that people often buy at bodegas are processed foods high in sodium, including chips, deli meats, and cheese. Bronx Health REACH, Montfiore Medical Center and City Harvest are part of the Bronx Bodega Partners Workgroup, offering healthy food retail initiatives to encourage stores to stock healthier items, such as low-sodium deli meats and healthy snack alternatives. The Workgroup launched the Don’t Stress, Eat Fresh healthy bodega marketing campaign to increase awareness of these healthier options throughout the Bronx community.

Bronx Health REACH, with support from the American Heart Association’s NYC Community Impact Grant, is collaborating with the Bronx healthy food advocate, Shen’naque Sean Butler and his “FRESCH” campaign to expand the number of bodegas selling healthy grab-and-go items. To date, Sean has organized taste tests at bodegas, schools, and in the community, offering hummus, three-bean salad, a vegan salad, and pico de gallo. Future taste tests include cut vegetables with dip, fruit cups, and overnight oats. We hope the combination of taste tests and increased access to these healthy items for sale in the community, coupled with the Don’t Stress, Eat Fresh healthy bodega marketing campaign will offer Bronx residents new items they will get excited about and support their health!

Montefiore Medical Center is collaborating with the Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District (BID)  to support bodega owners selling healthy foods such as The Bronx Salad and other healthy grab-and-go items. By partnering with NYC Small Business Services, the Jerome Gun Hill BID offers bodegas compliance consultations, financial education, trainings, advertising and promotional support, and other business support resources.

City Harvest has established a relationship with Fairway to get healthy grab-and-go items sold in supermarkets and corner stores in the Bronx. After an initial pilot phase, the following seven Bronx stores are participating in the grab-and-go program:

1. Borinquen Supermarket, 436 Brook Avenue
2. Met Food Supermarket, 649 Jackson Avenue
3. Real Supermarket, 795 Prospect Avenue
4. Makey Deli, 2704 Third Avenue
5. D & D Deli, 100 West 168th Street
6. Moe’s Quick Deli, 469 Brook Avenue
7. Wanda’s Deli, 104 Elliot Place

Consuming less sodium and more fruits and vegetables – including the items promoted through the grab-and-go program – are part of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet plan, and is an important step in reducing the risk of diet-related diseases such as hypertension and stroke.

For more information, contact Kelly Moltzen via email or call (212) 633-0800 x 1328.

Bronx Health REACH and the Institute for Family Health Urban Horizons Family Health Center Help Address Food Insecurity amongst Patients

This post was written by Mickelder Kercy, Evaluation Assistant for Bronx Health REACH.

Bronx Health REACH and the Institute for Family Health’s Urban Horizons Family Health Center (IFH) are implementing an innovative program that aims to bridge the gap between a health center and community-based organizations (CBOs) to improve patients’ health behaviors and health outcomes.

This CDC-funded program will have two main components: a screening phase and a referral phase. At the IFH Urban Horizons Family Health Center, all patients who are 18 years and older will be screened to determine if they are food insecure.

Patients who identify as food insecure will meet with a physician who will then refer them to a case manager. The case manager will connect the patient with resources in the community using “Aunt Bertha,” an online platform that lists up-to-date information about community-based organizations, as well as tracks the referrals to ensure that the needs of the patient are met. Bronx Health REACH is developing partnerships with food pantries and soup kitchens near Urban Horizons Family Health Center to ensure that these organizations have the ability to serve our patients.

We are ideally looking for food pantries and soup kitchens that accept a wide range of clients, serve/provide healthy foods, and offer additional support services. The goal of this intervention is to provide patients who lack sufficient food at home to have access to, and consume, nutritionally healthy foods. This is important, as many of our patients suffer from diabetes, hypertension and obesity. One patient has told us, “I just accept what they (the food pantry) offer. There’s not a lot of really fresh food, only one fruit.” Another patient added, “They have old food and it is not healthy. We need to help people with illnesses to prevent chronic conditions.”

The Food Insecurity Screening and Referral Program will be monitored and evaluated by our evaluation team to measure the impact of the program. We will report on the number of patients screened positively for food insecurity at Urban Horizons Family Health Center and referred to CBOs in their neighborhood. Data will also be collected on the number of patients identified as food insecure who have a diagnosis of diabetes, hypertension or obesity.

When analyzing the data, our evaluation team will estimate the percentage of patients screened for food insecurity who are no longer food insecure after one year of receiving supplemental foods at the CBOs, as a means of measuring program impact. Additionally, we will evaluate the potential impact of the program on patient blood sugar level, blood pressure level and/or weight.

To ensure that patients are satisfied with the Food Insecurity Screening and Referral Program, a sample of patients who were part of the program will be interviewed during the first 6 months of the intervention. We will also solicit feedback from participating staff at the health center and CBOs.

Bronx Health REACH plans to share key findings from this innovative program. If the program is successful, the ultimate goal will be to scale up and implement the Food Insecurity Screening and Referral Program at all Institute for Family Health centers to help mitigate food insecurity amongst our patients and by doing so, improve their health status.

Bronx Health REACH and Elected Officials

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) held a community town hall on City Island. 

On Saturday, June 29th, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez held a community town hall at P.S. 175 on City Island, and Bronx Health REACH's Charmaine Ruddock and Kelly Moltzen joined 200 other people to hear what the Congresswoman is doing to address issues facing Bronx residents. She spoke about some of the ideas she has been championing: the Green New Deal, single payer healthcare and making healthy food more affordable.

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez pointed out how the Parkchester farmers market is only open a few months out of the year, compared to other farmers markets in the city that operate year-round. She said that local residents should be encouraged to grow their own food. Charmaine had a chance to ask Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez what she is doing to address the fact that the Bronx is ranked 62 out of 62 in all New York State counties in terms of health outcomes and health factors. Charmaine followed up her first question by also asking the Congresswoman, how is she prioritizing the Bronx in light of that standing.

PIX11 was at the town hall and interviewed Charmaine.

Left to right: BronxWorks Marina Smith; Council Member Diana Ayala; Bronx Health REACH's Charmaine Ruddock and BronxWorks Carolina Espinosa.

In June, staff from Bronx Health REACH and BronxWorks met with Council Member Diana Ayala and her Deputy Chief of Staff, Bianca J. Almedina. Council Member Ayala had visited Los Hermanos, one of our partner bodegas participating in the Don't Stress, Eat Fresh campaign. Bronx Health REACH received $2500 in funding from the City Council to continue the campaign. At the meeting Council Member Ayala offered suggestions on how best to go about securing future City Council funding to support the marketing campaign in 2020

Creating Healthy Schools and Communities Funding Supports the Garden at the Institute for Family Health Walton Family Health Center

Joseph Ellis, Kelly Moltzen and Sean Butler were given a tour of the Institute for Family Health's Walton Family Health center rooftop garden, led by Rosanna Medina.

Bronx Health REACH’s Creating Healthy Schools & Communities (CHSC) program provided funding to build a rooftop garden at the Institute for Family Health's Walton Family Health Center, to promote wellness and healthy living for staff and patients. When some Bronx Health REACH staff visited the rooftop garden in July, the garden was filled with strawberries, vegetables and herbs ready to be picked. "Growing fruits, vegetables and herbs on the health center’s rooftop is an excellent way to engage staff and patients in healthy living practices," said Kelly Moltzen, Program Manager for Creating Healthy Schools and Communities at Bronx Health REACH. She noted, "The fresh produce is easily seen and very accessible, which encourages staff to enjoy the garden, use the fruits and herbs to make infused water, and model healthy practices for patients. The infused water is a great alternative to sugary beverages. Another exciting part of this garden is that it’s used by Walton’s teen food justice group, encouraging the younger generation to eat fresh produce and develop lifelong healthy eating habits."

IFH Staff member Rosanna Medina gave a tour of the garden to Bronx Health REACH staff and shared her excitement about the garden. “I have a green thumb so I really enjoy coming out to the garden every day. I am part of the watering committee and it is amazing to see how quickly the garden has grown since it was built in June.”

PSS Jackson Clients Discover Menu Improvements are Delicious

Clients enjoy samples of Olga's Bulgar and chicken.

As part of Bronx Health REACH's Food Service Guidelines Initiative, we are working with partner Presbyterian Senior Services (PSS) at their Parkside and Jackson locations in the Bronx to improve their menus by incorporating more fresh vegetables, reducing meat and serving healthier homemade salad dressings. In March, Lenox Hill Teaching Kitchen provided  training for Presbyterian Senior Services kitchen staff on how to create more healthy, fresh, locally sourced and sustainable foods to improve their seniors’ overall health and well-being.

To date, two tastings have been held at each senior center. Seniors enjoyed samples of “Olga’s Bulgur and Chicken” at one tasting, and were offered Chicken with Butternut Squash Stew at another. At the first tasting, they learned about the benefits of eating more whole grains and were given copies of the recipe to prepare at home. At the second, many enjoyed the stew despite it having less meat and more veggies in it. One client said, "I have high blood pressure so I have to be careful of what I eat. This tastes delicious. I would make this at home." Another client added, "This was so delicious, I had two servings!" In the future, Bronx Health REACH looks forward to working with the PSS sites on improving the healthy meals served daily and engaging new sites with this initiative.

Bronx Health REACH Holds Faith Communities & Food Systems Conference

Panelists at the Faith Communities and Food Systems conference: (left to right) Dennis Derryck from Corbin Hill Food Project, Rev. Darriel Harris from the Black Church Food Security Network, Karen Washington from Rise & Root Farm, Nancy Ortiz-Surun and Demetrio Surun from La Finca del Sur.

On September 18th, Bronx Health REACH held a “Faith Communities and Food Systems” conference at Church of God of Prophecy. Fifty faith and community leaders and advocates gathered to discuss the role of faith communities in ensuring a healthier and more equitable food system for the Bronx. Participants included clergy, lay leaders, public health professionals, urban farmers, community gardeners, academic researchers, and other community members. Karen Washington from Rise & Root Farm and Rev. Darriel Harris from the Black Church Food Security Network and Baltimore Food & Faith Project were the main speakers. The conference highlighted the importance of urban agriculture and local farms (especially those run by farmers of color) for improving the health and self-sufficiency of Bronxites, and the role faith communities can play in helping create healthy food systems.

Conference attendees also discussed how elected officials and other policymakers need to recognize and remove the barriers that limit opportunities for growing, purchasing and selling fresh, healthy food in the Bronx. The importance of honoring the labor of farmers, gardeners, and other food related workers was a point that was stressed especially by Karen Washington. Attendees had an opportunity to watch a food demonstration by Tania Lopez, and brainstorm next steps that the health ministries of faith organizations could take regarding faith-based health education, improving access to locally grown food, and advocacy on food related policies.

The Bronx Salad at Bronx Day in Albany

Bronx Health REACH partner Henry Obispo of United Business Cooperative promoting The Bronx Salad at Bronx Day in Albany.

Bronx Health REACH's Kelly Moltzen and Henry Obispo from United Business Cooperative, a partner in the Healthy Restaurant Initiative attended and promoted The Bronx Salad at Bronx Day in Albany on June 12th. Expo participants had an opportunity to taste The Bronx Salad, which was well received. The event to showcase the products and services of Bronx businesses and organizations was organized by New York State Assemblymember Michael Benedetto. Assemblymembers Victor M. Pichardo, Marcos Crespo, Andrew Hevesi, Senator Jose E. Serrano, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. spoke at the event.

Bronx Health REACH believes Bronx restaurants would be better equipped to serve The Bronx Salad if partner restaurants were supported as business owners through strategies developed by United Business Cooperative. Bronx Health REACH will continue working with United Business Cooperative and Bronx legislators to try to increase the capacity of Bronx food businesses to source healthy ingredients such as those used to make The Bronx Salad.

Parents from Three Partner Schools Participate in Farmer’s Market Tours

Bronx Health REACH intern Elecia Faaiuaso (left) speaking with attendees of a farmers market tour.


This post was written by Bronx Health REACH intern Elecia Faaiuaso.

This fall, Bronx Health REACH gave parents of students from Bronx East Academy, Bronx Charter School of the Arts, and Hyde Leadership Charter School the chance to pick fresh fruits and vegetables without ever leaving the Bronx. Bronx Health REACH staff hosted three farmers’ market tours for 22 parents residing in District 8. Within minutes of arriving in the park, alive with fall foliage, parents saw the bountiful produce stands and lit up with excitement ready to dig in! Parents walked over to further investigate the inviting smells of honey crisp apples and bouquets of peppery arugula. The journey for better health had begun before the tour even started.

The farmers’ market tour included both nutrition information followed by time to shop in the market. Farmers’ market tours make fresh food more accessible and are a great way to provide instantaneous opportunities for healthy eating with new recipe ideas to cook nutritious meals for the participants’ families. Parents who participated received $10 worth of Health Bucks — $2 coupons used to purchase fruits and vegetables at farmers markets. Health Bucks were provided by Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr.’s office, who secured $22,000 worth of Health Bucks for his constituents in this year’s budget. Thank you Council Member Salamanca for supporting these efforts in your district!

Despite the cool, brisk air in the park, parents enthusiastically participated in a rich discussion about the benefits of farmers’ markets, the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available, and the affordable prices. Staff also noted the importance of maintaining a healthy, fiber-rich diet with fruits and vegetables.  “It keeps everything moving along thus cleaning your system!” exclaimed the staff member. At the end, parents were given informational material, including a My Plate Planner, a guide for harvest times for vegetables and fruits, a list of starchy versus non-starchy vegetables, and tips for getting children to eat more fruits and vegetables. After receiving the tips and materials, parents were eager to share their own personal experiences, cooking methods, and food storage advice. One parent shared a unique way to preserve “sofrito” made with fresh herbs — freezing it in ice cube trays. Staff ended the discussion session by thanking the parents for attending and saying how helpful it is to hear cooking tips and food shopping experiences from parents, as they hold the power in the kitchen and determine what the family eats.

After the discussion, parents were encouraged to speak to the farmers about the produce being sold and to try fruits or vegetables they may not have eaten before. With Health Bucks in hand and excitement on their faces, shopping for healthy produce commenced!  Walking through the tents, parents marveled at the affordable prices and were thrilled to be able to buy unfamiliar produce such as acorn squash and familiar items like Bosc pears. Many of the parents on the tour left the market with 3 to 4 bags of fruits and vegetables!

At the end of the tour, Bronx Health REACH had parents share their shopping experience at the farmers’ market. One parent expressed her appreciation for the local farmers and their commitment to “come to the city to provide us with fresh produce in [their] area”. They all agreed that the market was very clean, and the vendors were friendly and provided fresh, affordable produce. The parents would like to see Bronx Health REACH provide more tours so that others could “learn and enjoy” these farmers’ markets as much as they did. One parent commented that she would always pass by the farmers’ market while riding the bus, and even though she wanted to stop and check it out, she never had the money to do so. She pointed out that the Health Bucks helped make it easier for her to purchase fresh produce from the farmers’ market and eat healthy. Bronx Health REACH hopes to arrange additional farmers’ market tours for parents in the spring of 2018 when farmers’ markets reopen.

Visit the GrowNYC website to stay up-to-date on events and the farmers’ market schedule.

Bronx Health REACH Appears at NYU Community Health Forum and Just Food Conference

The Just Food Conference, a two day event featuring interactive workshops, policy discussions, and opportunities to advocate for equitable food policy, was held at Teachers College, Columbia University on Sunday, March 12th. Emma Rodgers from Bronx Health REACH appeared with Ramon Murphy, President of the Bodega Association and a Bronx Health REACH partner in the Healthy Bodega Program. The panel, Bronx Bodegas: Healthy Retail in the Bronx, also featured Montefiore Medical Center, BronxWorks and Urban Health Plan, each of whom is doing their own Healthy Bodega Programs.

The New York University College of Global Public Health held a Community Health Forum on Friday, March 10th and Bronx Health REACH's Charmaine Ruddock spoke on the panel, Promoting Inter-sectoral Partnerships. Other panelists included, Adrienne Abbate from the Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness; Sandra Lobo from the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition; and Tamara Greenfield from Building Healthy Communities, the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships. Charmaine focused her remarks on the importance of aligning ones organization’s interests with those of ones partners and collaborators for successful inter-sectoral partnerships. To illustrate her point she cited Bronx Health REACH’s Healthy Bodega program which, in its current iteration, recognizes that the success of the program is contingent on bodega owners experience that selling healthy food is as good for their bottom line as it is for the health of their customers. In addition to the Healthy Bodega Initiative, Charmaine also shared with the audience a similar alignment of interests with the restaurant owners in Bronx Health REACH’s Healthy Restaurant Initiative.

Community HealthCorps National Day of Service Project Promotes Food Access

Each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, AmeriCorps members across the country participate in a national day of service. This year at the Institute for Family Health, our Community HealthCorps team partnered with the New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) to do SNAP and WIC outreach in Corona, Queens. Individuals or families that qualify for SNAP receive a monthly credit to buy fruits, vegetables, and other grocery items that would otherwise be unaffordable. Many farmers markets now accept these benefits, increasing access to fresh, local produce for low-income residents. WIC serves a similar purpose, with a special goal of improving birth outcomes and childhood nutrition by supplementing the diets of pregnant women, as well as women and their young children. Since many of our Community HealthCorps members work with pregnant women and diabetic or pre-diabetic patients, this project was quite relevant to our service positions. In New York City, many people are eligible for government assistance programs that can increase their purchasing power for food, but these services are often under-utilized. Our goal was to publicize free eligibility screenings for SNAP and WIC by distributing fliers to shoppers and passersby in a low-income neighborhood. 

When I learned about our MLK Jr. Day of Service project, my initial reaction was skepticism. As a relatively shy person, I have always been wary of canvassing and outreach projects, feeling too uncomfortable to approach or solicit strangers. I thought of the times I'd actively avoided canvassers in the subway station or on the street, taking a different route to steer clear of any interaction. I wondered how effective our approach would be to increase registration for SNAP and WIC. On Monday, January 19th, our group arrived at our service site in Corona, after enjoying dim sum together in Flushing. I was posted inside a local supermarket, given a stack of fliers, and assigned to a Spanish-speaking teammate. After watching my partner give fliers to several people with an explanation of the program, I realized that many of the local shoppers were genuinely interested in registering for SNAP. Very few people walked away without accepting a flier; in fact, most people thanked us and even asked questions about the eligibility screening. After spending an hour in the store distributing fliers and directing people to get screened, the line at the SNAP information table was winding around the shopping aisle. Rather than avoiding us as I had expected, the shoppers seemed eager for more information about the program. I started to feel more comfortable handing out fliers as I realized we were offering information about a service that people actually needed and wanted. And what more appropriate place to spread awareness about food assistance programs than in a grocery store?

This outreach project had greater implications for my service position than I had initially anticipated. As a service member at Bronx Health REACH, I help coordinate the Healthy Schools NY program through the NY State Department of Health. This involves maintaining relationships with 22 public schools in the Bronx to support them in their wellness initiatives. Nutrition is a huge part of our work, especially since most students at our schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and live in food-insecure homes. For many students, school lunch may be the only meal they eat each day. Or, they may be accustomed to eating fast food and unhealthy snacks at home, which are often the most  affordable and convenient options. As a result, a large proportion of students in the schools we work with are overweight or obese. Since I started my position in September, I have gained insight into the many barriers to healthy eating that students and their families face. Even if people qualify for SNAP, there are few outlets in their neighborhoods where healthy food can be purchased at a reasonable price. However, if people have never heard of SNAP or don't know how to apply, purchasing healthy food becomes even less feasible. I had assumed that most of the students at our schools benefit from SNAP at home, but I began to wonder how many of their families knew nothing about such programs or how to register. These problems ran through my mind as we handed out fliers about SNAP eligibility screening on Martin Luther King Jr. day, and I realized how raising awareness about these programs can be a critical part of improving childhood health and nutrition.

 

Rachel Manning is a Community HealthCorps member with Bronx Health REACH.

FOOD SECURITY INFORMATION

ACCESS NYC

Child Nutrition & WIC Reauthorization Act Slideshow

City Harvest

Cornell Cooperative Extension

New York State Child Nutrition Knowledge Center (where to find Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program, Food Service Equipment Assistance Grants, etc)

NYC Coalition Against Hunger

NYCCAH Free Food Assistance

USDA Report on Food Deserts

World Hunger Year - Food Security Learning Center