Public housing residents experience some of the worst health outcomes in New York City—largely as a result of the lack of fresh and healthy food, opportunities for physical activity, and opportunities to connect with their local public spaces. In 2016, the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships and the Fund for Public Health in New York City announced a Building Healthy Communities initiative to combat these outcomes in 12 neighborhoods across the City. Two of those neighborhoods—Brownsville and East Harlem—are a part of NYHealth’s Healthy Neighborhoods Fund communities. NYHealth partnered with the City to connect public housing residents in Brownsville and East Harlem to more opportunities for improved health and wellness.
On October 23, 2019, NYHealth hosted a discussion about the community-driven efforts to improve health outcomes in these neighborhoods. Panelists gave an overview of the public-private partnerships that helped shape the initiative; shared examples of successful community-led projects around the City; and discussed potential challenges for the future.
Speakers were:
- Tamara Greenfield, Deputy Executive Director, Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety & Building Healthy Communities, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice
- Tara Singh, Director of Programs, Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice