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.

Faith Based Partners Tour Concrete Plant Park

Attendees at the June faith based outreach meeting toured the edible gardens at Concrete Plant Park. 

Faith based partner members were given a tour of Concrete Park at the June faith based outreach initiative. Meeting at Bronx Health REACH partner church, Mt. Zion CME Church, the group walked to the Westchester entrance of Concrete Park, located at Bronx River Avenue and Whitlock Avenue. Nathan Hunter from Bronx River Alliance took the group of 14 on a tour of the edible gardens. As part of our initiative to support active design efforts and increase safe, accessible places for physical activity, we have connected our faith based partners with the work that Bronx River Alliance has been doing to increase awareness of the available park space community residents can access.

Rev. Theresa Oliver, Senior Pastor at Mt. Zion CME Church initially toured both Concrete Plant Park and Starlight Park in May, and joined the June tour. She remarked, "It is remarkable that we have this amazing oasis right in our own backyard here in the Bronx. We sampled berries and mint from the edible garden. When it cools down I will bring our congregation to the park after our Sunday service."  Joseph Ellis, Bronx Health REACH Community Health Worker added, "I remember when it used to be an empty space filled with trash but it's great to see it transform into an amazing park and open space that the community can use and enjoy." We encourage everyone to visit Concrete Plant and Starlight Parks and take part in the many outdoor activities offered by our partner Bronx River Alliance.

Bronx Health REACH's Charmaine Ruddock Selected as CDC's Office of Minority Health Equity Champion

Congratulations to BHR's Project Director Charmaine Ruddock who was selected as the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity Champion. Leandris C. Liburd, Director, Office of Minority Health & Health Equity (OMHHE) commented, "Our Health Equity Champion is one of the pioneers who has contributed significantly to the implementation of REACH and its branding as CDC’s flagship health disparities program.  We are honored to recognize Charmaine Ruddock who leads the Bronx Health REACH program. I can personally attest to her tireless commitment to reducing racial and ethnic health disparities in the Bronx and her sustained efforts to support REACH nationally."

Great job Charmaine. We are proud of your leadership!

REACH June Coalition Meeting Celebrates 20 Years of REACH

Bronx Health REACH presented awards to Sue Kaplan and Joyce Davis for their work with Bronx Health REACH. (Left to right): Maxine Golub, Charmaine Ruddock, Sue Kaplan, Dr. Neil Calman and Joyce Davis.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program. And, as one of the grantees funded since the inception of REACH, it also is Bronx Health REACH's (BHR) 20th anniversary as well. At the June 7th Coalition meeting, a panel of some of the founding members looked back at the past 20 years. The panelists included: Dr. Neil S. Calman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Family Health; Maxine Golub, Senior Vice President of Program Development at the Institute for Family Health; Joyce Davis of Joyce Davis Consultants and Walker Memorial Baptist Church; and Sue Kaplan from NYU School of Medicine, Department of Population Health. The panelists discussed how it all began for BHR in 1999, what was the motivation, the vision, the mission.

"You had to go out into the community and do something, so I thought that applying for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) very first REACH grant was the perfect opportunity for us to build on the work inside our organization and to do something outside the walls of our community health centers about bringing the issue of race to the forefront. We were not thinking about the social determinants at the time, but we felt that we had to address the inequities in the health care system," said Dr. Calman.

Maxine added, "At the time I did not think we had the expertise but we wrote the grant and the CDC gave us a year to plan. We held focus groups and we learned to ask, rather than, to tell the participants, and used their feedback to write a community action plan with input from the community."

"One Pastor at a Bronx church told us that he had young people in his congregation with toes cut off due to health ailments and something had to be done to address these issues," said Joyce. It was an open and engaging panel where all agreed that despite the many accomplishments of BHR, there is still much work to be done to eliminate health disparities.

Prior to the panel discussion, both Joyce Davis and Sue Kaplan were presented with awards. Joyce's award was for her exceptional leadership, vision and commitment to Bronx Health REACH and Sue's award was for her exceptional partnership and commitment. Sue in accepting her award noted, "Bronx Health REACH is not a project, it is a commitment."

The Morrisania WIC Baby Café - Making a Difference for Bronx Breastfeeding Moms and Reflections from My Internship at Bronx Health REACH

Left to right: Judy Fram, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Afsa Golo, Breastfeeding Peer Counselor at the Baby Café staff with Jin Yao Li (CLC) Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), author of this post.

World Breastfeeding Week was August 1st to 7th and August is National Breastfeeding Month. For my summer internship between my first and second year of medical school, I worked with Bronx Health REACH on their breastfeeding initiative. As a Certified Lactation Counselor, I chose this internship, because of my passion for improving women’s health and promoting breastfeeding. I believe it is one way to address the high rates of diabetes and obesity in the South Bronx.

Breastfeeding should be part of preventive care because there is compelling research showing that breastfed children have lower rates of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and obesity.¹ From 2014 to 2016, the Bronx had 41.6% WIC infants that were breastfed in their first 6 months compared to overall New York City rate of 47.5%.² According to the World Health Organization, infants should be breastfed exclusively for their first 6 months of life for optimal growth, development, and health.³ Hence, it is crucial that mothers get breastfeeding support in these early critical months of their infant’s life.

One of my tasks was to assist at the NYC Baby Café Bronx located at Morrisania –Gotham Health in the South Bronx every Thursday. My role at the Baby Café was to set up a welcoming and comfortable environment for the mothers. I was also involved in documenting their reasons for the visit.

I learned about the concept of a Baby Café during my Certified Lactation Consultant training but I had never been to one. The Baby Café associated with Morrisania WIC is a free, drop-in service that offers breastfeeding support for pregnant and new parents in the community and welcomes any family members or supporters. I also discovered that the Baby Café provided a comforting environment for the mothers to share their experiences while getting support from experienced staff who are International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC), healthcare professionals who provide clinical management for breastfeeding through education and counseling. The goal is to improve breastfeeding exclusivity as well as help mothers meet their breastfeeding goals. I had the chance to learn about breastfeeding obstacles and possible solutions as the staff shared their experiences as breastfeeding counselors.

Breastfeeding can be a wonderful experience. It may also be challenging for some moms, especially during the early weeks. Some moms have situations which may require the assistance of a lactation professional. A mom may lack confidence about whether her baby is getting enough or may be experiencing pain or discomfort or she may have other issues that may be resolved with the help of an IBCLC at the Baby Café.

Moms come to the Baby Café for a variety of reasons, including concerns about the baby’s weight gain, returning to work or school, and to have a safe space to talk about mothering with other moms.

One of the moms recently came to the Baby Café with concerns about her baby’s weight. Her family members did not have confidence in breastfeeding and encouraged her to supplement her baby with large amounts of formula. After listening to her situation, one of the Lactation Counselors at the Baby Café took the time to measure the baby’s weight accurately. “Your baby’s weight is right on the 50th percentile. It’s perfect. You’re doing a very good job,” said the Lactation Counselor. The mom was relieved. “This is something I will show to my family [to show them] that I am doing the right thing by breastfeeding only,” she said pointing to her baby’s weight on the growth chart. The Lactation Counselor provided guidance on how the mom could maintain her milk supply as she returns to work.

This mother stood by her decision despite the advice of family and friends, which was very courageous of her. She was grateful for the information and assistance provided by the Baby Café staff. But imagine a mother who is hesitant about breastfeeding, and may have family members who are discouraging her from doing it. Where would she go for support? It is very important that mothers get the support they need, whether it be education about breastfeeding or words of encouragement from others. We need to do a better job of making sure mothers in the community know about these free resources.

During my internship, I gained an understanding of the underlying causes of breastfeeding disparities, something I would have never gotten from my classes. My experience working at the Baby Café will guide me when I become a healthcare provider.

The NYC Baby Café Bronx located at 1225 Gerard Avenue (on Gerard between 167th and 168th streets), Bronx NY, offers FREE breastfeeding support every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Siblings and partners are welcome to attend. Light refreshments are served. For more information, contact Afsa Golo or Judy Fram at (718) 960-2792.

1.      American Academy of Pediatrics. Benefits of Breastfeeding.
2.      New York State Department of Health. New York State Community Health Indicator Reports(CHIRS) - Percentage of WIC infants breastfeeding at least 6 months, 2014-2016. 
3.      World Health Organization. (2001). The World Health Organization's infant feeding recommendation.