Health and Human Services

Health & Human Services Committee Chair:

Chair: David Giordano

Vice-Chair: Monica Brown

The Health & Human Services Committee meets the First Monday of every month. Check the calendar for Agenda details and/or Change of Dates.

Health & Human Services Committee 2008-9 Agenda

Continuing community board reform efforts, the Health and Human Services Committee has proposed the development of a meeting format to include:

• Committee mission statement on the agenda
• HHC CAB as a standing Item on the agenda
• Highlight of the monthly Public Health observance
• Health agencies do not participate at the Boro consultations.
• To foster communications with city agencies the committee will extend and invitations to request a presentation by the City agency or community group that corresponds to the committee mission
• Brief summary of current or pending legislation or budget issue to comment on
• Post information on website
• Annualized events and activities that will be divided into sponsorship, coordination and actions

Support/sponsorship

Mount Sinai/Met  - Health fairs

Farmers Market – Harvest Market – July – Nov – Maritza Owens

EH link to the Brides March – September 26, 2008

AIDS March

Coordination/participation

Panel on Supermarkets – Sept 24, 2008

Day of Diabetes Dialogue with community partner – EH Partnership for Diabetes Prevention – Nov

Cervical Cancer Community Health Worker – March

Action

Joint Health Lobby Day April – Public Health Systems, CB 10, CB 9  Health Committees

Rename 115^th After Larry McDivitt

Monthly comment on pending legislation

Each month a presentation will occur with one city agency that will be asked to provide an overview of EH services, trends and budget.

Sept – HRA – National Recovery Month

Oct – Office of Domestic Violence  – Breast Cancer Month

Nov – Office of Immigration Services – National Diabetes Month

Dec – Working Session -CAB

Jan – HHC

Feb – Office of Homeless Services – Heart Month

Mar – Office of Correction – Women’s History

Apr. – Office of Insurance Access - Minority Health Month

May – Human Right Commission – Nutrition Month

Jun – End of Year Review – Pride Month

East Harlem Vital Statistics (Report Attached)

New York City is the most diverse city in the U.S. — a fact reflected in the distinct character of each neighborhood. The second edition of the Community Health Profiles uses Take Care New York (TCNY), the city’s health policy, to examine preventable causes of illness and death in all of NYC’s 42 neighborhoods. This report updates the 2002 profile (available at nyc.gov/health) by providing more recent and time-trend data, and a greater variety of health statistics.

Key health issues in East Harlem include:

• East Harlem residents experience more barriers to health care access than those in NYC overall, with 3 in 10 without a regular doctor and more than 20% of residents visiting the emergency department for routine health care. Also, the rate of uninsurance in East Harlem increased between 2002 and 2004.

• Although death rates due to HIV disease have decreased in East Harlem during the past decade, this community has the second highest HIV-related death rate in the city.

• Almost two thirds of East Harlem adults are overweight or obese, and black and Hispanic residents are more likely to be obese than other residents.

Eating Well in Harlem (Report Attached)

Obesity is a major health problem in New York City— more than half of adult New Yorkers are either overweight or obese. Being at an unhealthy weight increases a person’s risk of developing many conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, and heart disease.

Poor neighborhoods have higher rates of obesity and more deaths due to diabetes and heart disease than more affluent neighborhoods. About 31% of adults in East Harlem and 27% in Central Harlem are obese; in contrast, the citywide obesity rate is 22%, and on the Upper East Side (a wealthier neighborhood next to East Harlem), 9% of adults are obese. About 13% of adults in East Harlem and 12% in Central Harlem have diabetes, compared with 9% of adults citywide and
3%* on the Upper East Side.

Healthy eating habits and increased physical activity are the most important ways to fight the obesity epidemic. Yet we know that neighborhood conditions and resources, particularly access to healthy food options, can have a profound impact on residents’ everyday lives. Research suggests that access to food— including the availability, quality, and price of healthy foods, and the presence of supermarkets and advertising—affect the food choices of residents, many of whom shop close to home.

This report examines the retail food environment in Central and East Harlem. The Upper East Side was used as a comparison neighborhood—although it is geographically contiguous to East Harlem and has a similar residential and commercial mix, the area has much lower rates of illness.

Get Healthy Harlem

The Harlem Health Promotion Center (HHPC) is a collaboration of community, academic and public health stakeholders which uses research, education, advocacy and service delivery to improve the health and well-being of the Harlem community.

We have worked in Harlem for over 20 years, with leaders and members of the Harlem community to promote the health and well-being of the neighborhood.

GetHealthyHarlem.org is the result of years of collaboration between HHPC, community members and leaders. It is a health information website where Harlem residents, businesses and organizations can find local information about getting and staying healthy. It's also a place for sharing information and connecting with community members.

In short, this website is designed in Harlem, for Harlem, by Harlem.

**Check out the HHPC Spring 2008 Newsletter (Attached Below)**

Contact Information:

215 W. 125th Street, First Floor
New York, NY 10027

website: www.gethealthyharlem.org

email: GetHealthyHarlem@gmail.com

p: (646) 284.9777

f:  (646) 284.9729

HHPC, one of the 33 Prevention Research Centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is under the administration of the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.