Selected Recipients for “Healthy Neighborhoods Fund”
The neighborhoods in which people live affect health in multiple and complex ways. Studies have shown that a neighborhood’s socioeconomic condition will affect whether residents have healthy diets and exercise regularly. Good health outcomes are more prevalent in neighborhoods where people have easy access to nutritious, affordable food; safe and walkable streets; and active playgrounds and public spaces.
Living in neighborhoods without these essentials, residents are more likely to be burdened with high rates of obesity, diabetes, or other chronic illnesses. To help tackle some of the underlying problems that have affected the health of communities, NYHealth launched the Healthy Neighborhoods Fund initiative in 2015 to help six New York State communities become healthier and more active places. NYHealth invested $2 million in the initiative during its first two years and has since leveraged an additional $181 million in funding for the six communities—helping nearly half a million New Yorkers have greater access to healthy, affordable food and safe ways in which to be physically active.
In 2017, NYHealth is continuing its commitment to the Healthy Neighborhoods Fund, investing an additional $2.5 million over the next three years in support of these communities’ efforts to increase access to nutritious, affordable food; improve access to safe places where residents can exercise and be active; and connect children and adults to programs that support healthy behaviors. New York Community Trust has joined NYHealth in a complementary initiative, South Bronx Healthy and Livable Neighborhoods, to invest in three neighborhoods in the South Bronx.
