Over 20 Bronx Bodegas Participate in Two Day Healthy Bodega Initiative to Promote Healthier Food and Beverages

Bodega owners attending the Healthy Bodega Training.

Mitch Klein casually walked around the television studio housed discreetly inside Lebron's Restaurant Equipment and Business Machines store awaiting the bodega owners to attend the first ever, Healthy Bodega Training seminar. Mitch would be the trainer for the two day, nine hour sessions that were held on the evenings of Tuesday, August 4 and Wednesday, August 5. Getting to this starting point of the Healthy Bodega Initiative had been many months in the making. Launched by Bronx Health REACH, a program of the Institute for Family Health, in partnership with the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network, Inc. (HITN) and The Bodega Association of the United States (ASOBEU), the Healthy Bodega Training is a new and important part of the Healthy Bodega Initiative to address the obesity epidemic plaguing New York City’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.

This in-depth Healthy Bodega training was created to focus on business strategies, food handling and marketing/promotion practices. It is anticipated that the training will lead to an increase in the supply and demand for healthier food and beverages for customers by providing bodega owners with the tools and information to make offering healthy food and drink options a successful business in the high need, low income communities in which they are located. The training focused on best practices for becoming a H.E.R.O. bodega (healthy, educated, responsive, and operational). Topics covered included: the requirements of being a vendor for the SNAP and WIC programs, compliance with alcohol and tobacco vendor licensing, and appropriate responses to dealing with New York City agencies if a bodega receives a fine. The two day training was videotaped and will be accessible online through a password protected link.

Mitch expressed his confidence in the impact of this training. He said, "I have been doing trainings for forty years all across the country, and over the next two evenings I will be talking about how the small bodega can make a difference and compete against the big box stores. We have great success stories after doing similar programs in Miami, Orlando, and Philadelphia, and these bodegas can thrive and grow their business."

Mr. Ramon Murphy, who is not only the President of The Bodega Association of the United States, but has owned his bodega for twenty years noted, "I hope to see those bodega owners attending the training realize that they can have more healthy food offerings for the community. He went on to point out that “a partnership between bodega owners and the community can help to make the Bronx healthier."

While many bodega owners have been willing to participate in efforts to stock healthy food at the behest of healthy food advocates like Bronx Health REACH and others, many owners have not been able to succeed at selling healthy food because they lack the necessary information and tools to market and sell these healthy foods. The training not only provided much of the needed information, but plans are underway to develop and implement education and incentives to make healthy foods affordable and desirable.

The work is funded by a three year REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Institute for Family Health/Bronx Health REACH is a founding member of ‘Not62 – The Campaign for a Healthy Bronx’, a new initiative, responding to the Bronx being ranked 62 out of the 62 counties in New York State by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Ranking Report since 2009.

Just a few minutes past the scheduled start time the studio was filled with over twenty bodega owners taking their seats and donning headphones since most would need the presentation to be translated into Spanish. Mr. Murphy greeted the bodega owners and thanked them for taking time out of their busy schedule to attend the training. He spoke about how the Healthy Bodega initiative would not only be an economic benefit for their bodegas, but also a healthy benefit for the community. 

Prior to holding the training one of the stated goals Bronx Health REACH, HITN and the Bodega Association had was that the training should be practical and useful for the bodega owners. Following the two day training Julia Mair from HITN expressed how the Bodega Association Board members were excited about the fact that the Healthy Bodega training was useful and meaningful to them and the other bodega owners in attendance.

The feedback from the bodega owners was positive. Some of the bodega owners requested more training and expressed their willingness to participate in more training sessions since the topics discussed could be applied to the day to day work in their bodegas. Attendance for the second evening increased as some of the bodega owners brought in people who also worked in the stores. Those bodega owners felt that the information at the seminar was worth having others from their bodegas attend.

The Healthy Bodega Training seminar is a significant step towards offering the community a better selection of healthy food choices. As more bodega owners attend future Healthy Bodega Training seminars, the changes they make in their bodega will enable them to create sustainable practices that mean good business for them and the health for the community.

Connecting Bronx Communities to Local Farmers Markets

August 2nd through 8th marked the 16thannual USDA Farmers Market Week. Farmers Market Week is an official celebration of farmers markets across the country, connecting consumers to local fresh, seasonal, and healthy produce. In the New York tri-state area, August and September is peak harvest time. Regional bounty includes beets, broccoli, fresh herbs, tomatoes, peaches, plums and much more.

This month, with the bounty of farm produce available at local farmers markets Bronx Health REACH will launch a new campaign to promote Bronx-based farmers markets. This campaign, which is part of a city-wide collaboration of the Partnership for a Healthier NYC, seeks to increase access to farmers markets.

The campaign’s intent is to connect Bronx communities to local farmers markets. These markets are an important source for healthy eating, and improved health in general. The local farmers markets serve as hubs to supply and support increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

There are 29 farmers markets in the Bronx. To learn more, check out the Bronx Farmers’ Markets map. Next year we anticipate that that number will grow to 30, through collaborative efforts led by Harvest Home, Bronx Health REACH and the Melrose Community.

The campaign to promote farmers markets will focus on raising the awareness that farmers markets are accessible to all. As part of the campaign development process, community coalitions from the Bronx reviewed materials to determine their effectiveness in communicating that message of the accessibility of farmers markets.

In offering feedback, residents expressed that farmers markets accessibility pertains to their location as well as offering good value and prices for high quality produce. In New York, farmers’ markets accept a variety of payments including: WIC FMNP coupons, EBT, SNAP, Health Bucks, cash, debit and credit cards.

So, where is your nearest Farmer’s Market? To find out:

• Check the maponline
• Text “sogood” to 877877
• OR, call 311.

Healthy Water Campaign Begins in May

A photoshoot on Thursday, March 3 captured New York public school students from PS 294 and others engaging in various activities while enjoying a drink of fresh water.

The photoshoot is part of the Partnership for a Healthier NYC of which Bronx Health REACH is the Bronx borough lead development of a city-wide campaign to increase water consumption in New York City.

Residents in the South Bronx have some of the highest rates of diet related diseases including overweight and obesity, diabetes and heart disease compared to residents in the rest of New York City.

When people don’t drink enough water, they are more likely to drink soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages, which have been linked to weight gain and obesity. The campaign is scheduled to run from May to September 2016 and includes advertising on bus shelters and distribution of flyers and other promotional material by street teams at various Bronx summer events such as Boogie on the Boulevard.

Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, the Director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMD) at the NIH at the April Grand Rounds

Photo via NIH website.

This post is written by Emily Oppenheimer, Program Coordinator for the Partnership for a Healthier Bronx.

On Friday, April 8th, Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, the Director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) presented on Health Equity. His presentation, “Reducing Disparities in Health Outcomes: The NIMHD Agenda on Equity,” was the April Grand Rounds feature of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Perez- Stable was invited by Neil Calman, MD, President and CEO of The Institute for Family Health and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine.
Dr. Pérez-Stable shared his optimistic, yet pragmatic views on shifting internal medicine approaches to reduce health disparities. His presentation examined the cultural, environmental, and biological factors and emphasized five ways to reduce health disparity in healthcare settings: (1) expand access, (2) public health consensus, (3) coordinated care, (4) patient-centered care and (5) performance measurement. Primary care works, and access to care makes a difference. He argued that comprehensive systems changes can target health issues and shift disparity.

An important point made by Dr. Pérez-Stable with particular resonance to Bronx Health REACH, given that 90% of the Bronx population is Black and Hispanic, was his statement that even though 40% of the U.S. population qualifies as racial/ethnic minorities, health equity is simply social justice and common sense.

Looking ahead, Dr. Pérez-Stable explained that NIMHD will be looking to collaborate more with the Agency for Healthcare and Quality (AHRQ), diversifying the biomedical workforce, enhancing cultural competence in care, examining structural racism, and focusing research on mental health and epigenetics. Bronx Health REACH is excited to learn that the National Institutes of Health has invigorated efforts and refined its focus on reducing health disparities.

To learn more, visit the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities(NIMD) website.

Stark Health Disparities Between Bedford Stuyvesant and Bay Ridge/Dyker Heights

Photo via Flickr by Eli Duke

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene continues to address health disparities across New York City. Below is an article from Raven Rakia comparing the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn to the Bay Ridge/Dyker Heights neighborhood and the stark health disparities between the two areas.

To read the full Community Health Profile for Bed Stuy click here

To read the full Community Health Profile for Bay Ridge click here

In New York City’s black neighborhoods, poverty, housing issues, and asthma go together

By Raven Rakia on 16 Oct 2015

It’s a tale of two cities. New data from the New York City Department of Health shows the health of New Yorkers can vary drastically by neighborhood and is linked to race, housing issues, and poverty.

Earlier this week, the Department of Health published community public-health profiles that take an in-depth look at each neighborhood in Brooklyn (other boroughs will be coming over the next two months). The profiles detail the poverty rate, access to health care, life expectancy, strokes, asthma, mental illness, and cause of death for each neighborhood’s population. They reveal the stark reality of how health in New York varies along race and income lines.

Living in Brooklyn’s predominantly black neighborhoods comes with an increased rate of asthma hospitalizations. In all but one of Brooklyn’s predominantly black neighborhoods, the number of asthma hospitalizations was higher than the borough and city average for both children and adults. The whiter the neighborhood got, the fewer asthma hospitalizations there were.

The difference is stark: In Bed-Stuy, a neighborhood that is 64 percent black, there were 531 avoidable adult asthma hospitalizations per 100,000 people and 54 child asthma hospitalizations per 10,000 people. In the Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights neighborhood, which is 60 percent white, there were 94 avoidable adult asthma hospitalizations per 100,000 people and nine child asthma hospitalizations per 10,000 people.

The four neighborhoods in Brooklyn with the highest avoidable adult asthma hospitalization rates are all over 83 percent black and Latino, and they also have some of the highest poverty rates in the borough. While showing the connections between race, poverty, and health on a microscopic level, the data also offers a glimpse into some of the reasons why the differences may be so high. In Brooklyn, most of the levels of particulate matter (as a form of air pollution) range from 8 to 9.5 micrograms per cubic meter. When it comes to housing quality, in six neighborhoods, 70 percent or more rented homes have at least one maintenance defect. All six of those neighborhoods are predominantly black and Latino, and four out of the six neighborhoods have high rates of asthma hospitalizations. Poor housing quality could mean the presence of mold or asbestos, which are associated with respiratory illnesses.

The most important thing about all of this data is that it shows a complete picture of how the neighborhood you live in can affect how healthy you are. As NYC’s Health Commissioner Mary Bassett told CBS New York, “The health of a neighborhood doesn’t just rely on the decisions an individual makes, but on the resources that are available to them in that neighborhood.”

New Yorkers, if you want to be healthy, it’s going to be much easier if you’re white and can afford to live in a richer neighborhood. For everyone else: good luck.

Making Strides in Achieving PE for All

For supporters of school wellness, the link between health and academics is apparent. We know that when students are not able to lead healthy lives, it creates both learning and health disparities in low-income communities such as the South Bronx. In New York City, similar to what is happening across the country, schools are faced with the challenge of making sure that all students get adequate physical education. To determine if this is happening, information about New York City’s physical education program should be made public.

The Phys Ed for All Coalition,  of which Bronx Health REACH  is a founding member, advocates for policy, systems and environmental changes that will provide more opportunities for NYC students to receive quality physical education. On November 4th, the coalition celebrated Mayor Bill de Blasio signing into law Intro 644, requiring the New York City Department of Education to report on how much physical education is provided to students in each New York City public school. This is a first of its kind in the country. And as such, one of the PE 4 All Coalition members – the American Heart Association – is aiming to replicate this work nationally. The inaugural report is scheduled to be released publicly by August 2016.

In addition to the required reporting, the New York City Council has added $6.6 million to the New York City Department of Education budget over the next 3 years for the “PE Works Program” to cover central staff for the program, to hire 50 new phys ed teachers, and 4 PE instructors (each covering 2 districts throughout the City). While this all represents very important development in efforts to improve the quantity and quality of PE, we are concerned about the short life span of the funding. By year 4 of the program, schools are expected to fund the PE teachers on their own. How are schools supposed to fund an adequate number of PE teachers for all schools, resolve the problem of overcrowded gyms shared by co-located schools, and schedule adequate time for PE into the school day?

In response to these challenges Bronx Health REACH and one of it’s partners, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, have been educating parents to be better advocates for their children, and raising more awareness about the links between health, physical education, and children’s behavior and academic performance. In addition,the PE 4 All Coalition members have suggested such creative responses to the challenges as: training teachers to provide physical education in small spaces, implementing active recess, using hallway space for physical activity breaks for students who need a break from sitting in the classroom; training school staff to establish wellness councils that can implement wellness policies and take on Active Design projects ensuring that health education and physical education are aligned in ways that lead to demonstrable changes in student behaviors; making physical education a more substantive part of the Principal’s Checklist; and finding ways to incentivize schools that are able to achieve physical education goals through the NYC Excellence in School Wellness Awards.

Bronx Health REACH through its recent Healthy Schools NY  grant and its current Creating Healthy Schools and Communities grant is doing its part by training PE teachers to establish wellness councils and Comprehensive School Physical Activity  Programs. But this should not be the responsibility of outside groups. Making sure that all NYC students receive adequate physical education will ultimately require more financial support than currently allocated. The PE 4 All Coalition will continue to identify and propose solutions that make adequate, quality physical education available for all NYC students, and welcomes new participation in the efforts. Please join us. If you or your school would like to get involved, contact Kelly Moltzen at kmoltzen@institute.org or Erin George at egeorge@nylpi.org.

Does Soda Need a Warning Label?

Image from Public Health Advocacy website

The harmful effects of cigarettes have been well documented, requiring them to have warning labels on the package. With  recent studies revealing the harmful health effects, should soda also have a warning label? New York State Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz and state Senator Gustavo Rivera believe so and have introduced legislation (Assembly Bill 2320-B& Senate Bill S 6435)  requiring that any sugar sweetened beverages sold in New York State have a warning labels.

The label would state:

SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.

The label would be affixed to any carbonated or noncarbonated sweetened nonalcoholic beverage that has seventy-five calories or more per every twelve fluid ounces. Warning labels would not be needed for beverages consisting of one hundred percent natural fruit juice or natural vegetable juice that does not contain caloric sweeteners. A larger sign/poster would be posted in places such as restaurants and any establishment that dispenses sodas.

California lawmakers tried to pass similar legislation (SB203) but the bill died in committee in April 2015. CalBev, the California arm of the American BeverageAssociation, argued against the California bill by stating that soft drinks are not “uniquely responsible for weight gain,” and added that affixing a warning label would not change behaviors or teach people about healthy lifestyles.

But contrary to what CalBev has stated, various studies have confirmed that a warning label for soda is warranted. The California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) states in a factsheet, “An overwhelming body of scientific research shows that liquid sugar is uniquely harmful because it gets absorbed so quickly, and much faster than solid food. When sugar floods the bloodstream, it overloads the pancreas and causes the liver to store much of the sugar as fat – which leads to fatty liver disease. Both of these conditions contribute directly to diabetes. Research shows that drinking one or two cans of a soda a day increases the risk of developing diabetes by 26 percent.”

Nutrition experts agree that sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, energy drinks, sweet teas and sports drinks, offer little or no nutritional value, and contain large quantities of added sugars. A 20 ounce bottle of soda contains the equivalent of approximately 17 teaspoons of sugar, whereas the American HeartAssociation recommends consuming no more than five to nine teaspoons of sugar daily.

In New York City the harmful effects of soda consumption are more acute. Providing testimony before the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection on April 13, 2015, Christine Johnson, Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene stated, “In New York City, 56% of adults are overweight or obese and over 10% have diagnosed diabetes. Rates are even higher in New York City’s poorest communities, which also bear a greater burden of chronic disease.

Nearly a quarter of adults drink at least one sugary drink per day, and consumption rates are nearly double in New York City’s lowest-income communities compared to the highest-income communities, and over 40% of New York City public high school students report drinking one or more sugary drinks daily. The proportion of New Yorkers regularly consuming sugary drinks has declined in recent years; however, these rates are still too high.”

A studyfunded by the Healthy Eating ResearchProgram of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and conducted by University ofPennsylvania, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University ofWaterloo asked 2381 parents to select a beverage from a simulated vending machine containing a variety of were sweetened and unsweetened drinks. The study revealed that those drinks with warning labels were three times as effective in making parents less likely to purchase a sweetened beverage. The warning labels also were effective among parents of varying educational backgrounds revealing that not just the most educated parents read the labels, but all parents read and considered the labels.

Assembly Bill 2320-B & Senate Bill S 6435 is important. Having that warning on soda labels means that each time a consumer goes to buy or drink that soda they would know of the danger to their health and hopefully, would put that soda down.  We know, however, that getting these two bills passed will not be easy. It will draw the ire and enormous money and power of the Soda Beverage industry to defeat it. The Bronx Health REACH Coalition knows how critical it is to reduce the overweight and obese epidemic in the Bronx  where 2 in 3 adults are overweight or obese, and where 4 in 10 public school elementary students are either obese or overweight. Efforts of our policy makers to make it easy for residents to make healthy choices is extremely important.

Should warning labels be placed on soda? Join in the conversation below.

Rev. Dr. J. Albert Bush – A Strong Voice for the Bronx Community and Beyond

Bronx Health REACH  will be featuring 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 as well as elsewhere. A notable member of this group of change agents is the Rev. Dr. J. Albert Bush, Sr. pastor of Walker Memorial Church in the Bronx. Rev. Bush is a 1983 graduate of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina where he earned a Master of Divinity degree, and later earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree from the Drew University Theological Seminary in New Jersey. 2016 marks his 34th Pastoral Anniversary at Walker Memorial Church.

Growing up in South Carolina as the second of nine children, Rev. Dr. J. Albert Bush was the first in his family to graduate from college. Adopting a liberationist approach to theology, Rev. Bush started to see and understand how God could use poor people as an instrument to make change in their community.

Answering the call to serve at Walker Memorial Church in 1982 provided a wake-up call for him. Walker Memorial Church had been at 116th Street in Harlem, and moved to the Bronx prior to his arrival. “The Bronx at the time had no housing, no industry, just burned out buildings and depression all around. Many of the people in the congregation saw my arrival as a ticket back to Harlem,” says Rev. Bush. Believing that his time in the Bronx would only be two years, Rev. Bush found himself asking God, “Why did you send me here? Do I belong here?”

Out of his quest he discovered that Walker Memorial Church did not need to return to Harlem. He could learn to love and care for the people of this community and lead them so that they could take responsibility for the change that needed to come. Looking back Rev. Bush admits that was a painful decision, but is convinced that it was the right one at the time. “God was making plans for me to do something, and when I embraced that concept, I led my congregation to become involved in the renewal and rebuilding of this community,” says Rev. Bush.

That renewal and rebuilding has included the Grand Concourse Academy Charter School. “We purchased the empty lot next door twelve years ago and built Grand Concourse Academy Charter School without any federal, state, or grant money. The school was built with all the financial support coming from members of Walker Memorial Church,” says Rev. Bush.

Rev. Bush has also been a long time member of the Bronx Health REACH Coalition where he provides Walker Memorial Church as the meeting place of the Faith Based Outreach workgroup and the quarterly Coalition meetings. He has seen the damage health disparities has done to the community. “This community unfortunately has some of the highest breast cancer rates, highest heart disease rates, and highest amputation rates from diabetes. The thing that surprised me most was the lack of awareness in the community itself. People did not know they were unhealthy,” says Rev. Bush

He believes that healthcare should be more affordable, and more accessible. “You are talking to a man that was once paying $2,500 a month for health insurance over four years to cover his family. That is crazy! One needs a full time job just to pay for health care and that is senseless. It seems that we are comfortable in America keeping and maintaining an underclass,” says Rev. Bush. Rev. Bush adds, “I have experienced a great deal of what the people I seek to help have experienced. I was born in poverty, raised in poverty, and knows what it is like to not have health insurance. I feel every American should have the same level of healthcare that every Senator and Congressman receive. If we can grant it to them, they can return the favor.”

One thing Rev. Bush would change to make health care more equitable would be the elimination of the two class system where those with insurance can see anyone faster than those without insurance that have limited options. “I know of people that have died in the emergency room that had been waiting up to fourteen hours to be seen by a doctor, but people with same problem that have health insurance, they can be seen by someone lickety-split,” says Rev. Bush.

Rev. Bush still continues his work assisting those that have been displaced by disasters in places such as Mississippi and Georgetown, South Carolina. “I am the lead for our denomination (National Baptist Convention) for the disaster response team to any man-made and natural disasters. I have fifteen men on the ground in Mississippi providing relief to those affected by the tornadoes. I have thirty-seven men in Georgetown, South Carolina who are working in partnership with the American Red Cross, FEMA, and other disaster relief agencies, as well as congregations, to aid and assist the people of South Carolina with emergency supplies, such as food, water, and clothing, helping people rebuild homes damaged by the floods,” says Rev. Bush. Currently Rev. Bush is working with officials in Flint, Michigan trying to resolve the man-made disaster of poisoned water.

And the relief efforts are not limited to the United States. In response to the Ebola crisis in Liberia, Rev. Bush Sent aid project through his missionary organization, So Send I You to Providence Baptist Church in Monrovia. “We have sent food relief to Liberia by shipping two ninety foot containers to Liberia with $90,000 worth of food. We also have a daycare center in South Africa in the poorest section of Soweto, and a food kitchen in Swaziland that feeds seventy-five orphan children that have lost both parents to AIDS. We are also building a church and library in South Africa,” says Rev. Bush.

Walker Memorial Baptist and Thessalonia Baptist Church Raise Over $1000 for the American Heart Association

Members of both Walker Memorial Baptist and Thessalonia Baptist Church participated in the fashion show.

On Saturday, March 12, Walker Memorial Baptist Church and Thessalonia Baptist Church, both long time members of the Bronx Health REACHFaith-based Outreach Initiative, in partnership with the American Heart Association held a Heart and Health Awareness brunch to spotlight the issue of women and heart disease. This year's event had more than one hundred people in attendance to hear two speakers and view a fashion show, raising over $1,000 for the American Heart Association.

Bronx Health REACH's Charmaine Ruddock gave a presentation about #Not 62-The Campaign for A Healthy Bronx, and what needs to be done to improve the ranking of the Bronx. Paula Rice, volunteer with the American Heart Association shared her 'heart stopping' experience with cardio vascular disease. Ms. Rice had suffered a heart attack three years ago at the age of sixty. After Ms. Rice spoke another woman shared her experience of recovering from a stroke she had suffered a few years ago.

Gada Dickerson from Thessalonia Baptist Church spoke about how even though heart disease affects both men and women, a woman having a heart attack symptoms may not be so obvious and may differ from those of men. Gada also spoke about the importance of exercising every day, even doing something as simple as walking. The American Heart Association recommends 10,000 steps per day which one can track of by wearing a pedometer.

A special feature of the day was the on site health screenings and distribution of health literature by Lincoln Hospital. Joyce Davis, Head of the Deacon Board of Walker Memorial Baptist Church served as the master of ceremonies. The fashion show featured members of both Walker Memorial Baptist Church and Thessalonia Baptist Church.

Pictured from left to right are Bronx Health REACH's Charmaine Ruddock; Paula Rice, volunteer with the American Heart Association; and Joyce Davis, Head of the Deacon Board of Walker Memorial Baptist Church.

Kick Butts Day in the Bronx!

Image: Province of British Columbia via Flickr

 

 

Today is Kick Butts Day, and we are featuring a guest blog post from Guillermo Flores, Bronx community engagement coordinator at NYC Smoke-Free.

 
Hello there!  Today, we’re celebrating Kick Butts Day in the Bronx!
My name is Guillermo Flores and I am the Bronx community engagement coordinator at NYC Smoke-Free, a program of Public Health Solutions made possible with the support of the New York State Department of Health’s Tobacco Control Program.  At NYC Smoke-Free, we work to protect the health of New Yorkers through tobacco control policy, advocacy, and education. Formerly the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City, NYC Smoke-Free partners with community members, legislators, and health advocates to support local efforts to end the devastating epidemic of  tobacco use throughout New York City. We believe every New Yorker has the right to breathe clean, smoke-free air where they live, work and play.

 
Kick Butts Day is an international day of activism sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco. There are over 1,600 tobacco retailers that populate our Bronx communities. This growing number of tobacco outlets in our neighborhoods re-normalizes tobacco use. And in far too many communities, youth are more likely to find tobacco on their neighborhood blocks than parks, schools, libraries, or toy stores.  We work with key stakeholders to bring awareness to this issue, to protect our youth from the over exposure to tobacco in their neighborhoods, and to find ways of stopping the proliferation of tobacco supply and use in the Bronx and New York City.

 
These initiatives as well as Smoke Free Housing, Tobacco Free Outdoor Air Policies, and other evidence based tobacco control policies are part of the New York State Tobacco Control Program. This program plays a crucial role in saving the lives of New Yorkers and preventing such chronic health conditions as heart disease, cancer and respiratory illness.  New York’s comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation program prevent  youth from starting to smoke, helps adult smokers quit, and serves as a counter to the tobacco industry’s aggressive marketing and negative influence.  For more information, please visit our website.

Bronx Health REACH Applauds Mayor de Blasio’s FY17 Budget Allocation for Physical Education in NYC Elementary Schools

Bronx Health REACH is thrilled about Mayor de Blasio’s budget allocation for physical education in NYC elementary schools.  As Comptroller Stringer mentioned in his “Dropping the Ball” report, many NYC schools have not been meeting the state mandates 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. Now, with this investment into physical education for NYC’s schoolchildren, Bronx Health REACH and the Phys Ed for All Coalition can work together with the NYC Department of Education Office of School Wellness to identify ways to fill the gaps in schools lacking Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP), which includes physical education, before and after school physical activity, active recess, classroom physical activity breaks, and parent and community engagement.

In 1893, Thomas D. Wood, pioneer in health and physical education, stated: “The great thought of physical education is not the education of the physical nature, but the relation of physical training to complete education, and then the effort to make the physical contribute its full share to the life of the individual.”

Public schools are responsible for preparing pupils to become complete citizens that will propel our society towards new heights. As part of becoming well educated and self-directed citizens, there must be knowledge, skills, capacities, and values along with the enthusiasm to maintain a healthy lifestyle into adulthood. For many Bronx schools burdened with the effects of childhood obesity, children need to learn at an early age how to practice, and adopt a healthy lifestyle, eating fruits and vegetables, exercising daily, and coping with stress. These are life skills that will be a mainstay throughout the course of an individual’s life. Like the right to education, the right to a complete and effective physical education is a right of every student.

Bronx Health REACH has partnered with over 20 schools in districts 7, 8, 9, and 12 in the South Bronx to more closely examine wellness policies and environments. We have discovered in School Districts 7 and 12, districts which have not yet received intensive support on CSPAP implementation from the Department of Education, the impact of the PE deficit.  In District 7, public schools face the highest rates of childhood obesity in New York City.  Several schools are unable to offer daily physical education because of the challenges of co-location, declines in quality of equipment from wear and tear, and the lack of adequate budgeting to not only fund new programs but to increase students’ access to activity before and after school, and most importantly—meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s standards for daily recommended physical activity.

Schools in District 7 have responded by partnering with community based organizations such as the National Football League’s Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative, Cookshop, and others. However, the need for integrated physical education programs to support wellness initiatives in schools is sorely lacking. These schools will greatly benefit from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s approval of increased spending for physical education programs in elementary schools.

In District 12, co-location is equally challenging for both students and physical education instructors. Furthermore, one school has outdated facilities that cannot serve a campus with over 500 students from grades kindergarten through eighth grade. A physical education instructor who asked to remain anonymous paints a picture of the situation, “Health and wellness are not taken seriously in my school—it is essentially an afterthought. This has been the mindset for years and this—I believe—begins with a lack of commitment at the city level.” Another PE Instructor residing in upstate New York agrees, “Yes, the funding [for physical education at their school] is much less than where I live—I think that contributes to how healthy students are.”

With strides made in the PE4All Campaign and Mayor de Blasio’s receptivity to fund physical education, Bronx Health REACH and the Phys Ed for All Coalition hope health and wellness begins to be treated as a right and made a high priority in our schools.

Joyce Davis – Giving the Bronx Community an Opportunity to be Heard

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 Joyce Davis. After a successful thirty year career in marketing and sales for AT&T, Joyce found her passion working with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, and Mount Hope Housing Company. Joyce recently completed her Masters of Divinity from New York Theological Seminary.

Growing up in Harlem as a pastor’s daughter, Joyce Davis was just nine years old when her father passed away while giving a sermon. Her mother would emerge as a strong and lasting influence for resilience. "My mother had been the first lady at my father's church, but when he suddenly passed away she now had four children to raise on her own. She had not been working, and there was no daycare in those days, so she transformed the house my father had purchased into a boarding house, and did all the work needed to be done including loading the coal to heat the house," says Joyce.

Her mother was a living example that by having faith and confidence in yourself, you can move forward to overcome any obstacle. “We decided to move to the Bronx and I went with my mother to see a house. After seeing the house she wanted, my mother and gave the owner $50 as a down payment. As we walked away I asked my mother how she was going to pay make the payments for the house. My mother replied, ‘the Lord will provide,’ and she never missed a payment!”

Even though Joyce had spent a successful sales and marketing career at AT&T, she faced challenges of gender discrimination, and felt it may be time to leave the corporate environment. After thirty years of service Joyce accepted a retirement package, but she was uncertain what would be the next journey in her career. Her sister had written a play, “Mama I Want to Sing” (LINK) and was going to embark on a European tour, and asked Joyce if she would be interested in being the tour manager. Joyce accepted and was able to see Europe and Japan with the touring group.

Joyce joined the Northwest Bronx Community and ClergyCoalition (later becoming the first African-American president), a grassroots social justice organization that organized residents to fight for long-term solutions to problems in their communities. “You could see the Bronx was changing as drug dealers took over corners of the neighborhood, and my neighbors were asking for my help in dealing with these drug dealers. The Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition had organizers in each of those Bronx neighborhoods that had been fighting against the drugs and redlining. We rallied with the people, since we had a lot of clergy, priests and rabbis that would do marches, chanting, ‘No drugs here!”

From working with the Northwest Bronx Community Coalition Joyce found her new path. “I began to understand what building community was about when working with the Northwest Bronx Community Coalition, and it became my passion. I credit them with focusing me away from what had been my corporate environment, and into a place where I now could make a difference, where my voice mattered, people valued my opinion, and I was heard.”

Joyce joined the board of the Mount Hope Housing Company(eventually becoming Executive Director) and began collaborating with other organizations such as the Institute for Family Health to transform spaces for community use. The Institute for Family Health asked if the Mount Hope Housing Company would like to have a family practice in the neighborhood, and since Joyce did not know the Institute for Family Health that well at the time she had stipulations, the most important being: if you want to come into our community, we have to be a part of it. “We wanted to be an equal part of designing the building, hiring the staff, setting the hours the facility would be open, etc., and the Institute for Family Health was awesome in that regard where they asked and received input from the community. When we opened that health care center, the community trusted the Institute, and the Institute trusted us,” says Joyce.

Eventually she left the Mount Hope Housing Company and began to work with other organizations doing similar things building community revitalization. At the time the Institute for Family Health was putting together a grant that would address health disparities in the Bronx, and asked Joyce if she would be interested in working on that project. Joyce accepted and also suggested bringing in Rev. Robert Lewis Foley Sr. from Cosmopolitan Church and Rev. Dr. J. Albert Bush Sr. from Walker Memorial Baptist Church to partner with the Institute for Family Health on this issue. She added, “It was great to see the clergy focusing on health disparities since it was difficult for people to speak about this issue since they did not want to ruffle any feathers. When something from the pulpit is said, everyone listens, so let’s use the pulpit. That is the mission of the church,” she said.

Joyce believes the work to end health disparities has improved, but much needs to be done. “Many years ago there used to be a sign indicating a colored door and white door, now even though there is no physical sign on the door, people still get that selective treatment. The hope is that someday people can walk into a medical center or hospital and be treated like a human being, and get the care they need to get healthy. At the end of the day, people in the community want to be heard. They want a safe community with decent housing, jobs, education and health care.”

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.

Gada Dickerson - Doing All That She Can to Help Improve the Health and Well-being of Bronx Residents

As the Health and Wellness Ministry Chairperson for Thessalonia Worship Center in the Bronx, Gada Dickerson always had an interest in health; not just her health, but improving the health and well-being of others. Her mother and father worked in a hospital, so it seemed natural for Gada to pursue a job as a hospital nurse. She enrolled and graduated from a nursing program, but as fate would have it, her nursing career was not to be. After completing the nursing program a hiring freeze went into effect at New York City public hospitals, which quickly limited her options. As a result, she changed her career focus and, instead, pursued a health services administration degree.

When Gada began attending Bronx Health REACH meetings, she discovered that Bronx Health REACH offered various health programs at Bronx churches. In time, Thessalonia Worship Center joined Bronx Health REACH's Faith Based Outreach Initiative. This Initiative helps faith organizations – of all denominations – raise their congregations awareness of racial and ethnic health disparities; provide health programming around nutrition and fitness, and diabetes prevention and management. The first program launched at Thessalonia Worship Center was Fine, Fit and Fabulous. It was well received by the congregation with 20 church members participating in the program. Gada pointed out that the reason for the success was, “Our late pastor, Dr. Rev. Shellie Sampson, Jr. was a big supporter of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. He viewed obesity as a daily struggle, and allowed us to use the banquet hall whenever we needed it for our Fine, Fit and Fabulous classes. Our current pastor, Reverend Malobe Sampson is also a big supporter."

Following on Fine, Fit and Fabulous, Thessalonia Worship Center implemented the culinary ministry which provided information on selecting, preparing, and serving healthy versions of favorite meals at church events. "Our church provided traditional fare such as macaroni and cheese, fried fish, fried chicken, and collard greens which are not the healthiest options. A Bronx Health REACH nutritionist spoke to the church kitchen staff that had been preparing the meals, and eventually there were changes made that included using less fat and salt, offering fruit and salad at the start of the buffet table, and reducing portion sizes," Gada noted.

As a lifelong South Bronx resident Gada sees many health challenges faced by those living in the community. “When I go grocery shopping and see other shoppers filling their shopping carts with unhealthy items such as frozen pizza and hot pockets, I wonder, where are the fruits and vegetables? If you eat fruits and vegetables as a child, you will continue eating them as an adult. People have to make health a priority in their life.”

For now, Gada is focused on improving the health of her fellow church members. “Our church is always doing a healthy program, and since I am on various email lists, I am able to get Thessalonia Worship Center involved in a variety of health programs. Currently our church is doing blood pressure readings every Sunday for church members.” Whether it be at her church, or a #Not62 – Campaign for A Healthy Bronx! Town Hall event, you can be certain that Gada is doing all that she can to help improve the health and well-being of her fellow Bronx residents.