Community News

The residents of Bushwick are experiencing a health crisis – one that has significant costs related to hospital care and lost days of work and school and exacts an emotional toll no one can quantify. NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) research indicates that the residents of Bushwick bear a “heavy burden of illness and mortality.” The Bushwick community and its partners can overcome this crisis with the investment of time, energy, support, and funding.
The Bushwick Agenda for Children Tomorrow Collaborative (“Collaborative”) – a group of Bushwick residents, service providers, and supporters who meet every month to discuss and strategize about the needs of Bushwick community – has spent the last 18 months discussing a myriad of health issues confronting Bushwick families and children, focusing on obesity and nutrition, asthma, mental health services, and early intervention. The best approach to address the health crisis in Brooklyn is through improved access to quality health care. Improved access to quality health care, as defined by the Collaborative includes: (1) community education about prevention strategies and available services thus empowering families to make healthy choices and change their lives and their community; (2) recruitment and hiring of service providers who are culturally and linguistically competent; (3) availability of programs and services that are operationally accessible - located in convenient places for families, available at the times needed by families, and with a fee scale the uninsured can afford; (4) a sufficient number of programs and services to meet the needs of the community; (5) effective marketing and outreach to families as an essential component of programs and services; and (6) programs and services that collaborate with each other in providing support to families and maximize limited resources in the community. We need help from Health Resource Center, Cultural Competency, and others. Also, to accomplish this, we need the assistance of our residents and partners:Mayor’s Office
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of Education,New York City Housing Authority ,Department of Parks and Recreation ,Economic Development Corporation ,Wyckoff Heights Medical Center and Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center. With the collaborative work of the community and its partners, Bushwick will improve the health of its children and families.