Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH)
Led by the Institute, the Bronx Health REACH Coalition works to address health disparities in key health areas. The coalition includes over 70 community-based organizations, health care providers, faith-based institutions, housing and social service agencies, and a public interest law firm. Since 2000, the coalition has served as a model of community empowerment that demonstrates how to build healthier communities by:
promoting healthy life-style behaviors
increasing awareness of racial and ethnic disparities in health care delivery
advocating for policy, environmental, and systems changes
For the past six years, the Bronx has ranked 62 out of the 62 counties in New York State in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings Report. This has spurred a social marketing campaign called #Not62, which aims to bring together major stakeholders across multiple sectors to address the determinants of health, improve the health outcomes of Bronx residents, and have the Bronx move up in the county health ranking in 3-5 years.
Harlem Outreach Programs
The Institute’s Community Health and Outreach Department, located at its Family Health Center of Harlem, operates several health promotion programs for residents of Central and East Harlem. Our outreach staff train local community members to serve as peer leaders to conduct chronic disease and diabetes self-management programs as well as diabetes prevention workshops focused on healthy eating and being more physically active. We collaborate with food retail businesses in the community to raise awareness around the issue of portion control and healthier eating habits to promote the well-being of the community.
The Community Health and Outreach Department also trains community residents to work alongside academic partners from Mt. Sinai Medical Center in the development and application of community-based participatory research in the areas of diabetes and stroke.
Bronx Health Coalition members rally for health equity at Bronx Borough Hall.
Dr. Rev. Robert Foley, pastor of the Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus in the Bronx and a longtime member of the Institute’s Bronx Health REACH coalition, speaks about inequities in the U.S. health care system.
Nisha Agarwal, a civil rights attorney, speaks about patients’ rights when accessing health care. Ms. Agarwal is a long-time supporter and advocate for the Institute’s Bronx Health REACH coalition, and was recently appointed Commissioner for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
