Testifying in Support of More PE Funding for South Bronx Schools

This post was written by Victor Gidarisingh, Program Coordinator for the Creating Healthy Schools and Communities program.

When New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released his report, “Dropping the Ball: Disparities in Physical Education in New York City Schools,” which points out that many NYC schools have not been meeting the state mandate for physical education, due to a number of challenges such as insufficient numbers of certified physical education instructors, limited training for existing teachers, and space constraints, in effect, he was declaring that physical education, which had not been a priority in New York City public elementary schools now was. Through that report, Comptroller Stringer was speaking for schools in Districts 7, 8, 9, and 12. I had visited these schools through the winter and spring and witnessed that they did indeed lack adequate staffing, space, and resources for physical education.

A few weeks ago I found myself downtown at City Hall, not to have a leisurely stroll on the Brooklyn Bridge, but to represent Bronx Health REACH, a member of the Phys Ed for All Coalition. I was there to provide testimony supporting increased funding for PE in New York City public schools, especially those in the South Bronx. Even though physical education mattered to me, as I was sitting in the Committee Room at City Hall for the first time in my life, I was not certain if that was the case for the other strange and important audience members also assembled to provide testimony. 

After waiting almost four hours to be called, it was my turn to give testimony. As I reached out and gripped the microphone I felt my heart leap to my throat. I felt like a rookie quarterback, called up to play in the fourth quarter preparing for the final drive. But my team was those South Bronx schools in Districts 7, 8, 9, and 12, and I needed to deliver for them. Tucking my chin, I testified that those schools in the South Bronx, specifically those in Districts 7 and 12 had not been beneficiaries of the PE Works program, while District 9 schools with the program had made great strides. As I made this point, I could see Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson nod approvingly as this is her district. I went on to emphasize that physical activity should not be divorced from the academic achievement in students through integrated learning. I assured the Council members that PE would flourish if funding made its way to those districts that needed it the most, like those in the South Bronx. When it does, students attending those Bronx schools will not only improve their health outcomes, but their academic outcomes will also improve.

Dr. Eric Gayle – A Commitment and Passion for Providing Underserved Communities with High Quality Medical Care

Bronx Health REACH continues its series on individuals who have made a significant contribution to not only the Institute for Family Health, but to the African-American, Black and Latino communities in the Bronx where they have been strong activists for needed change. A notable member of this group of change agents is Dr. Eric Gayle, Vice President, Medical Services and Regional Medical Director, in New York City for the Institute for Family Health. Dr. Gayle also mentors minority students who are interested in careers in medicine, and leads the Institute’s credentialing committee.

Growing up in Kingston, Jamaica Dr. Eric Gayle quickly learned that a community lacking robust healthcare means having to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to stand in line for hours to be seen by a doctor. To Dr. Gayle, this did not seem right, and those experiences influenced him to become a doctor. The path to becoming a doctor began following his arrival in New York with his mother after completing high school in Jamaica. Dr. Gayle found having to navigate getting into college and medical school in the United States had its challenges. One was the few financial resources available to him; the other was improving his language skills since his spoken language was his native Jamaican patois. He found that he had to work hard to enhance his own standing in the eyes of others for them to give him access to opportunities. After determining the best avenue for getting into medical school, Dr. Gayle enrolled at the Sophie Davis Biomedical Education/CUNY School of Medicine, beginning his path to a career in medicine.

One class he took opened his eyes to the poor health services many New Yorkers received. Dr. Gayle had to review health services offered to the Harlem community and in doing so he was shocked to learn that Harlem residents received the same poor health services as Dr. Gayle experienced growing up in Jamaica. As a Bronx resident Dr. Gayle also observed that his neighbors in the community were not getting what they needed to become healthy. After completing his B.S. from the Sophie Davis Biomedical Education/CUNY School of Medicine, Dr. Gayle transferred to the Mount Sinai School of Medicine to complete his medical degree. He then did his residency in family medicine at Beth Israel Hospital, and upon completion of his residency in 1998, went to work at one of the Institute for Family Health’s (IFH), clinics in the Bronx.

His current responsibilities relate to the overall operations of the IFH New York City clinical centers. Dr. Gayle is responsible for ensuring that there is enough provider staff at all IFH centers, and that providers meet expectations on the quality of care for patients. "We are here for the patients, to improve their health and to serve the community. My principal responsibility is to give all health centers everything they need to be successful and meet that objective. Even though practicing in underserved communities is not easy, I can impact someone’s health by prescribing medication or offering them advice. It is hard to impact some of the social determinants of their health. Those are outside my control," says Dr. Gayle.

From his days growing up in Jamaica, Dr. Gayle knows what his patients are experiencing when it comes to accessing healthcare in underserved communities. "I know what it means to be in poverty and have social determinants impact your health. When my mother and I arrived in New York we did not have health insurance so I understand what my patients are going through and I have an understanding of what it takes to get them through these challenges," says Dr. Gayle. Addressing the current state of health disparities, Dr. Gayle believes there is more work to be done. "I don’t think we have impacted social determinants of health. I see there is dialogue and research but nothing has been done to improve income equality or housing, as many are still dealing with the same issues that were there 20 years ago. People are struggling to find food. Why does that continue to be a problem? It would take commitment and resources such as money to revamp the whole system," says Dr. Gayle.


A commitment to providing underserved communities with high quality medical care is what has been a guiding passion throughout Dr. Gayle’s career. So what advice would he give to those graduating medical school seeking a similar career but who are graduating with $200,000-$300,000 in student debt? “Though, this may be seen as a significant barrier I tell students not to be discouraged. If you have the passion, and really want to do this work, you can be successful," says Dr. Gayle.

Pastor Robert L. Foley Sr. – From Civil Rights’ Marches of the 60s to Championing the Cause of Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in the Bronx.

Bronx Health REACH continues it’s series of individuals that have made a significant contribution to not only the Institute for Family Health's Bronx Health REACH, but have been strong activists for needed change in the Black and Latino communities in the Bronx. A notable member of this group of change agents is Pastor Robert Lewis Foley, Sr., D. Min, D.D. Pastor of Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus in the Bronx, New York. Rev. Foley was raised in Georgia, graduated from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, and received a master of divinity degree from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, and a doctor of ministry degree at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. 

Pastor Robert Lewis Foley, Sr. was born in Marietta, Georgia. His father had been a pastor serving several congregations in Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama and would become an influence on Pastor Foley's decision to enter the Christian ministry in 1956 and a pastor himself in 1962. After becoming a pastor in Atlanta, Georgia, Pastor Foley became involved in the civil rights movement by attending meetings in Atlanta with  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  and Dr. Ralph Abernathy,  participating in events with Julian Bond and Stokely Carmichael, and marching  from Selma to Montgomery. At the time Pastor Foley did not realize that working with and marching alongside these historical civil rights leaders would put him on the path to becoming a community leader and providing a voice for underserved communities. "During the time of my involvement with these civil protests, I had no idea that what we were doing would have the impact on this nation that became the reality. I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do, and now I realize it is part of the reason God sent me to this world," says Pastor Foley.

While attending the ITC Seminary in 1965, he married and continued his pastoral ministry in Atlanta. In 1967, after a meeting with the late Bishop John Bright (the leader of all the New York based AME churches), Pastor Foley was transferred to New York where he continued his pastoral ministry in Tuckahoe, New York and in Harlem. After a few years, he decided to organize and establish an independent church. The first worship service of this new church named Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus, took place at a Prince Hall Masonic Lodge in Manhattan, and the next several services of worship were held in the auditorium of a public school also in Manhattan.

As fate or more likely providence would have it, a colleague of Pastor Foley spoke to him about a realtor who had placed an advertisement regarding a church building for sale in the Bronx, New York. The owner of the Bronx church invited Pastor Foley and his congregation to hold a service in the space, and soon after accepted an offer to purchase the church. At first Pastor Foley was uncertain if the congregation would be able to pay the mortgage, but soon discovered his congregation wanted to stay permanently. “We never missed a payment on the mortgage and retired that 18 year mortgage in 16 years, even though many of our members at that time were retired senior citizens living on a fixed income,” says Pastor Foley, and he continues to serve this congregation after 38 years.

In 1999 Joyce Davis and Maxine Golub from the Institute for Family Health met with Pastor Foley as the Institute for Family Health was launching a community coalition whose goal was the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities in the South Bronx. A special emphasis of the soon to be formed coalition was to focus attention on the discrimination and health disparities in health services provided by many of New York City’s teaching hospitals. "They gave an overview of how widespread the problem was, and it was an eye-opener for me since I was not aware how large and devastating health disparities were, and seeing how the minority communities were not being properly attended to by the medical community motivated me to join," says Pastor Foley.

Pastor Foley continues to be an active participant in many Bronx Health REACH initiatives. He not only graciously provides his church as a monthly meeting place for the Health Disparities Workgroup, but Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus has been host to several of Bronx Health REACH’s pastors breakfasts.  The most recent event was the hosting of a meeting of local elected officials and clergy leaders to address the Bronx being ranked 62 out of the 62 New York State counties in health outcomes and health factors in the Robert Wood Johnson’s County Health Ranking Report.

The pulpit is the one place Pastor Foley believes he has the most influence. "Every week I try to say something that speaks to the importance of maintaining your physical and mental well-being. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is an extension of our ministry, and the church must maintain relevancy to the community if we are to serve effectively and meaningfully," says Pastor Foley. Additionally, he serves 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 of the NYPD.

Kids Come Alive in PS443 Garden Space

This post was written by Kelsey Kinderknecht, a FoodCorps New York service member.

The garden is an outdoor classroom space where students come alive in new ways. Many students don’t thrive in a classroom setting where they must sit still, listen, and do exactly what they are told. Rather, many students thrive in an experiential learning environment where they learn with hands-on activities.

The changing of seasons from winter to spring is an exciting time to utilize the outdoor garden classroom where students learn and explore in new ways. As a FoodCorps member at PS 443 in the South Bronx, I have the opportunity to see kids light up when we take classes outside to the garden. Students learn how to nurture all their garden friends from pill bugs to worms to soil to our little plant seedlings. Many students that I witness struggling in the indoor classroom have a positive shift in behavior in the garden space.

M came alive in the garden space. He arrived in the United States only a couple months ago. He speaks an African dialect that no one else can speak in the school, therefore, he is not able to speak in his 4th grade class with his teacher or classmates. From the very first day, the classroom teacher and I took the class to the garden, this little boy came alive. He immediately dug his hands in the dirt and knew exactly how to plant the carrot seed without needing to comprehend the instructions. Since that first garden experience, he is now able to comprehend and speak a little English. Last week I was able to have a conversation with M about what he planted in Africa. With a smile from ear to ear, he named many fruits and vegetables: spinach, bananas, mangos, carrots, oranges, tomatoes. That day I realized that communication in the garden classroom uses a language of experience and culture: learning the responsibility that comes from nurturing and caring for living things.

Another student, one of my 2nd graders comes alive in the garden space.  As I was giving the instructions for the day, this little girl could not stop talking and asking questions about the garden and the sugar snap pea seeds we were planting. “What’s inside the seed? When will there be snap peas?” The teacher looked at me in awe and said “this is so great! I cannot get her to speak in the classroom!”  Just like the new seeds they are planting, kids come alive in new ways in the garden space!