American Farmland Trust

Farm-to-school programs bring locally grown, fresh, healthy food into cafeterias, benefiting children, farmers, educators, and health care providers. Starting in 2018, NYHealth has partnered with American Farmland Trust (AFT) to advance the farm-to-school movement in New York State. In 2024, NYHealth awarded American Farmland Trust a grant to strengthen and unify the farm-to-school movement in New York State through improved policy coordination and the provision of expert guidance on policy analysis. 

Under this grant, AFT will offer expertise to policymakers, school districts, farmers, and other coalition members about changes that are needed to address potential conflicts in existing and new policies. AFT will conduct policy research and analysis; coordinate diverse stakeholders; and advocate for policy changes and modifications.  

New York State Association of County Health Officials

New York’s rural counties face unique challenges: declining and aging populations; increasing hospital closures; shrinking labor forces and shortages of health care providers; and limited infrastructure. These issues are compounded by stagnant reimbursement rates, restrictive funding, and administrative barriers. County health departments play an essential role in addressing these challenges , but remain underfunded, understaffed, and burdened by leadership transitions. n 2024, NYHealth awarded a grant to the New York State Association of County Health Officials (NYSACHO) to equip rural county health departments with the tools and resources needed to address critical rural health challenges. 

Under this grant, NYSACHO will help local leaders take action on a pressing issue of their choice. It will provide tailored technical assistance and communications training to engage local decisionmakers and convey their needs and requests effectively; develop an online repository of public health resources; provide technical assistance and coaching to support succession planning; and integrate annual “enumeration report” learnings into rural-focused recommendations. NYSACHO will also partner with the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Association of Counties to advance key recommendations.  

Albany Medical College

Racial disparities in maternal health are among the most glaring and persistent of all health disparities.

Recent data show that discrimination was a probable or definite circumstance in almost half of maternal mortality cases in New York State. Although there is no silver bullet solution to this crisis, doulas have emerged as an innovative strategy to address inequities for birthing patients and improve patient outcomes. Doulas are trained, nonclinical childbirth professionals who provide physical, emotional, and informational support during and after pregnancy—often in home- and community-based settings. However, people of color and people with low income are less likely to use doula services because of cost, limited access, lack of cultural sensitivity, and provider resistance. In 2023, NYHealth awarded Albany Medical College (AMC) a grant to provide better access to doulas for people with low income and people of color giving birth in Albany and surrounding communities.  

Under this grant, AMC will partner with BirthNet, a local birth justice organization that focuses on certification for doulas of color, and the University of Albany’s Black Maternal Health Collective to train doulas and launch a doula program. It will expand its patient advisory council to learn about patients’ birthing experiences. It will conduct focus groups with patients and community stakeholders to make sure the doula program reflects their needs and preferences. Feedback will help identify instances of implicit bias and other discriminatory practices to inform quality improvement activities. Once trained, doulas will be fully incorporated into AMC’s birthing clinical care teams and connect with patients who plan to deliver at AMC or who are transferred there for a higher level of care. In addition, AMC will convene birthing hospitals and community providers to identify opportunities to scale and sustain doula programs in the region. AMC will also work with leaders across the State to share best practices.  

Saratoga Community Health Center (Saratoga Care)

Shared visit notes, often referred to as open notes, are an important way to help consumers become active participants in their own care.

When patients have access to their own visit notes written by health care providers, they better remember and act on information discussed during visits, improve communication with their health care team, and better manage their health. The 21st Century Cures Act, a recent federal mandate, requires health care providers to make clinical notes available to patients electronically and at no charge. However, the level of compliance and, most importantly, the proactive use of open notes to improve care vary among health systems. In 2022, NYHealth issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), “From Good to Great: Improving Access to and Use of Patient Visit Notes in Non-Hospital Systems,” to support non-hospital systems across New York State in sharing open notes in compliance with recent federal rules and using open notes to more meaningfully engage patients. In 2023, NYHealth awarded Saratoga Community Health Center (Saratoga CHC) a grant to participate in this initiative.

Saratoga CHC is part of a hospital-affiliated, multi-specialty physician practice, Saratoga Hospital Medical Group in Saratoga Springs and the Capital Region. It provides primary care and dental services to approximately 7,000 patients annually. It is the only community health center in the region, providing care regardless of patients’ insurance status or ability to pay. Under this grant, Saratoga CHC will continue to implement and improve the use of shared notes within its system and participate in a technical assistance and peer-learning network. Saratoga CHC will conduct patient education, outreach, and navigation to increase use of shared notes and install kiosks for patients to access notes on-site. It will also seek patient feedback, develop patient-centered note-sharing workflows, and upgrade its patient portal to integrate medical and dental patient visit notes.

See a full list of grantees participating in this initiative.

Center for Health Workforce Studies (fiscal sponsor: Health Research, Inc.)

Marginalized communities, including low-income and rural communities and communities of color, have less access to an adequate supply of trained health care providers and high-quality care.

New York is among the states with the highest numbers of federally-designated health care provider and primary care facility shortage areas. State and federal agencies have developed service obligation programs as incentives meant to encourage providers to work in shortage areas, but these programs are underused for two main reasons: (1) the process to apply and maintain eligibility is complex; and (2) there is a lack of easily accessible public information about shortage areas and associated incentive program eligibility. In 2022, NYHealth awarded the Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS), through fiscal sponsor Health Research, Inc., a grant to build and launch an online portal to improve access to information about health care shortage areas and workforce incentive programs that encourage health care providers to practice in underserved communities.

Under this grant, CHWS featured up-to-date information about shortage designations and incentive programs in its online portal. Live newsfeeds and searchable tools offered real-time information that helped providers complete their applications and helped organizations develop recruitment strategies. The portal shortened CHWS’s response time to questions about designations and incentive programs and house user-friendly tools for applicants. CHWS engaged a range of partners to promote the portal and raise awareness among hospital recruiters, schools, and other training programs. CHWS also provided technical assistance to up to 250 providers and organizations. Ultimately, the goal is that the portal and technical assistance fostered greater willingness among providers to apply for and participate in incentive programs, which in turn led to increased primary care access for New Yorkers.

Public Policy and Education Fund of New York

Medical debt is a crushing burden for New Yorkers. A recent survey found that more than half of New Yorkers struggle to pay medical bills.

Low-income communities and communities of color outside of New York City have been particularly hard hit by medical debt, exacerbating existing health and socioeconomic inequities. A coalition of partners has run a successful End Medical Debt in New York campaign, with NYHealth and other philanthropic support, to advocate for solutions. In 2022, NYHealth awarded the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York (PPEF) a grant to advocate for policy changes that protect New Yorkers from unfair medical debt.

Under this grant, PPEF expanded its base of organizers and produced a unified communications plan. With previous NYHealth support, PPEF initiated grassroots organizing for the statewide campaign; this next phase both bolstered funding for organizations already engaged in the campaign and reached new partners. PPEF also formalized the campaign’s communications plan and shared communications tools with organizers.

NYHealth is also supporting two complementary initiatives for ending medical debt in New York State, with grants to the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Central New York and the Urban Institute.

caret-down