I failed so many times trying to make my daughter eat new foods. After just one Zoom visit with you, I was fascinated by the possibility of finally getting her to eat better. I felt overjoyed when I saw her eating vegetables and other types of food. The way your entire team worked with her and helped us try different kinds of food, vegetables, and exercise was amazing. Seeing my baby enjoying broccoli, I cried with happiness. Thank you for not only changing my daughter’s life, but the lives of my entire family.
Health4Life parent
5,000
members reached through BBKH coalition initiatives
20%
increase in coalition membership
100+
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trainings for adults who work with adults and youth
More than
80
participants attended the Sixth Annual Clergy Summit entitled “Mental Health Equity and Advocacy for a Healing Community,” held virtually in November 2022
Scholarship funds
for a BBKH faith leader to become an MHFA trainer
Monthly meetings
with faith leaders to provide education and resources identified by the member-driven planning committee
Provided
in-person safety trainings
in hands-only CPR, active shooter, de-escalation, EpiPen use, Stop the Bleed, and transportation
Health fairs,
in-house trainings, and pop-up clinics
led by coalition members
The Building Bridges, Knowledge and Health (BBKH) coalition works with faith and community-based organizations to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities and enhance the well-being of residents in Northern Manhattan, Harlem, and the Bronx. Church members are valuable conduits of good health, responding to community health needs and implementing interventions to achieve meaningful results.
I am the pastor of St. Helena Catholic Church in the Bronx and our parish is a member of the BBKH coalition. I believe that BBKH’s move to virtual meetings has significantly increased member participation and greatly expanded the list of potential partners. The meetings are always informative. Last September, St. Helena hosted a BBKH in-person presentation focusing on what to do in an active shooter situation, a segment on Stop the Bleed, and another on hands-only CPR. Each topic could easily have been a full workshop in itself. Participants were interested, engaged, and asked many relevant questions. I look forward to actively participating in future BBKH meetings and events.
Rev. David Powers, Sch.P., Pastor, St. Helena’s Church
During an interaction between a CHW and the mother of an 11-year-old child and a newborn, the CHW learned that the mother was unable to afford a crib, car seat, and clothes for her newborn. The CHW referred the mother to various community programs so she could receive the resources and support she needed. Through this program, the mother obtained a car seat and a crib. She also received resources for diapers and clothing for the newborn. All of this was possible thanks to the help of the CHW and teamwork. The mother was very grateful.
I transitioned from being a Nido participant to an employee. Being part of the distribution team has been a positive and wonderful experience. I enjoy being one of the friendly faces the families get to see every time they pick up their pantry boxes. It makes my soul happy to see them receive the fresh produce that they need.
Mobile market coordinator at Nido de Esperanza, a CHALK partner committed to supporting the first 1,000 days of a child’s life
An uninsured woman diagnosed with breast cancer was living in temporary housing, was food insecure, and was unable to use the subway or bus to get to her treatments. She was overwhelmed by her diagnosis. She applied for and was accepted for housing at Hope Lodge, but there was no available room when she needed it. Her daughter arrived from the Dominican Republic and engaged extended family members to help with housing in Queens and support for activities of daily living. We helped her apply for no-cost food delivery from a local food pantry and connected her with transportation through Access-a-Ride. She has been receiving treatment and has been supported by a nurse case manager, who continues to provide her with emotional support and helps her navigate barriers.
Bimonthly virtual and in-person
educational programs
for the Bowery Mission and HELP USA women’s shelter
Pop-up clinics
for asylum seekers in New York City, homeless outreach events, and PCR testing for the Washington Heights community
Relaunch of
in-person health fairs & targeted events
such as the Domestic Workers Health Fair and Harlem Pride event
133+
people received Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training
3,000+
community members impacted at targeted health screening events, community health fairs, and pop-up clinics
1,100+
flu and COVID-19 vaccinations administered
The Community Outreach Program promotes overall wellness and disease prevention through educational and screening activities that facilitate early detection and intervention, with the ultimate goal of reducing health disparities. Staff connect people to primary and specialty care as well as other supportive resources. Community members have access to free screenings, vaccinations, and counseling and are empowered through a myriad of educational workshops.
At the Church of the Epiphany on the Upper East Side, the Outreach Program staff ran monthly health screening events for dinner guests before the pandemic. We collaborated with NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell nursing staff to provide blood pressure screenings, reading glasses, hands-only CPR training, and counseling on healthy lifestyle choices. We counseled one gentleman on how to lower his blood pressure and stay compliant with his medications and his doctor visits. Over time, his blood pressure improved, he lost weight, and he felt better about his well-being. We rewarded him with a portable machine to monitor his blood pressure at home. His entire disposition changed as he moved toward improved health. Throughout the pandemic, Outreach Program staff continued to support the church by providing temperature screenings for their pick-up meal service. The team was happy to provide assistance during the church’s “new normal.”
The Waiting Room As a Literacy & Learning Environment (WALLE), an initiative of the NewYork-Presbyterian Ambulatory Care Network (ACN), addresses the social determinants of health through a twofold approach: improving health literacy through targeted health education and empowering patients to connect with resource referrals to meet their social needs. WALLE helps medically underserved patients who are primarily from Washington Heights, Inwood, and the Bronx, most of whom are native Spanish speakers. Bilingual volunteers are trained in motivational interviewing skills, the tenets of health literacy, and the Transtheoretical Model. WALLE staff members link patients with free or low-cost community resources, assist patients with the completion of medical forms, and recruit interns to serve ACN patients.
Successfully concluded the
CMMI Accountable Health Communities grant
and expanded New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) screening and closed loop navigation for low- and rising-risk patients
Reached out to 21,747 patients and connected with
13,862
of them
Administered
11,392
NYSDOH screenings across ACN sites
41
health field students from 30+ higher learning institutions were WALLE interns
WALLE interns collectively served over
5,600
hours by helping to screen patients and providing 7,811 tailored lists of free or low-cost community resources