New York Health Foundation

Enter your search

Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in excerpt

Top searches

Year: 2021

New York School-Based Health Foundation, Inc.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, depression and anxiety among young people was already at a two-decade high, with an estimated 20% of children and adolescents suffering from a diagnosable behavioral health disorder.

With the onset of the pandemic, children faced school shutdowns, sudden shifts to remote learning, educational loss, social isolation, fear, and trauma related to the loss of a parent or primary caregiver. School-based health centers (SBHC) offer students primary, behavioral, and dental care at their schools, filling an access gap in low-income and rural communities. During the pandemic, New York State’s SBHCs turned to telehealth services. The return to in-person school in fall 2021 has sparked an increased need for in-person services as children struggle with new and exacerbated mental health issues. At the same time, SBHCs need help understanding temporary government resources, emerging treatment recommendations for struggling young people, and the best ways to deliver care. In 2021, NYHealth awarded the New York School-Based Health Foundation a grant to support SBHCs to improve the detection and treatment of mental health needs for low-income students who have returned to in-person school.

Under this grant, with co-funding from the New York Community Trust, the New York School-Based Health Foundation offered customized technical assistance and capacity building to SBHC sponsors and their associated sites. It identified best practice tools and approaches for delivering in-school mental health care, and it curated tools and resources in a comprehensive library. It also surveyed members to assess their capacity to offer mental health care, including use of screening tools, relationships with school personnel, and referral methods. The New York School-Based Health Foundation also helped SBHCs build competencies in screening and identifying students in need; prioritizing services based on student risk, with a focus on prevention, outreach to at-risk populations, and immediate intervention for students in crisis; improving teamwork among health center and school personnel; and building community referral partnerships and promoting mental health awareness among the school community. Subject matter experts delivered individualized technical assistance, as well as webinars and group workshops for peer-to-peer and group learning.

Community Service Society of New York

Although patient engagement and consumer empowerment practices are now recognized as necessary components of the health system, few patients have the time, skills, or resources to engage in more extensive advocacy with decision-makers.

In New York State, advocacy has traditionally been led by a handful of professional consumer representatives, but patients need to be empowered and prepared to speak up for their own interests. With NYHealth support, the Community Service Society of New York (CSS) launched We the Patients NY—a digital platform for patients to share their stories and advocate for a more patient-centered health care system. In 2020, NYHealth awarded CSS a second grant to continue to amplify the voices of patients and build their capacity to advocate effectively for health care policy change. In 2021, NYHealth awarded CSS a grant to further support the We the Patients NY campaign to engage and train patients in advocating for a patient-centered health system.

Under this grant, CSS implemented a three-pronged approach to further advance We the Patients NY, with input from an expert advisory group. It deepened its online and social media presence to generate engagement with 200,000 consumers, reporters, and decision-makers. CSS also trained patients interested in taking on higher-level advocacy roles, holding trainings that covered basic advocacy tools for sharing stories and practical resources. This cadre of patient activists were primed to engage with professional consumer advocacy organizations and describe their experiences with care, including issues related to medical billing, access, discrimination, and COVID-19. Finally, CSS continued to elevate public discourse on policy reform through public education focused on medical billing, patient financial assistance, and patient issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Initiative (fiscal sponsor: Community Foundation Of Orange County)

A core strategy for improving health and food security is developing and implementing local food systems plans that reflect regional and local circumstances, strengths, and deficits.

Local food systems plans tackle issues such as: engaging health care systems to advocate for and provide healthier institutional food; starting new farmers markets and urban farms; changing zoning to allow the establishment of new supermarkets and other food access points; strengthening farm-to-school programs; expanding nutrition assistance programs; establishing or scaling local food hubs; and educating government officials and community members about what the food system is and why it is important. Most local planning groups are run by volunteers and are loosely organized. Full-time dedicated staff and organizational structure are needed to accelerate and improve the development of local food systems plans. In 2021, NYHealth awarded Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Initiative (NUFFI) a grant to develop a formal local healthy food plan tailored to the Hudson Valley and advocate for policy changes to make healthy, local, and affordable food more available to New Yorkers.

Under this grant, NUFFI created community stakeholder partnerships that included representatives from food pantries and soup kitchens, farmers, and individuals who produce and deliver food to feeding programs. It conducted a food access audit to collect data about food insecurity in Newburgh and whether food-insecure residents are able to meet their nutritional needs through current resources such as food pantries, supermarkets, and SNAP/EBT. Information was collected about food access issues related to production, distribution, processing, public health, environmental impact, and social/racial equity in Newburgh. The audit was used to create action plans to reduce food insecurity, food waste, and other gaps in the region’s local food system.

NYHealth is also supporting complementary food planning initiatives with Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Common Ground Health, Equity Advocates, Good Food Buffalo Coalition, and Adirondack Health Institute.

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester, dba Food Bank of the Southern Tier

A core strategy for improving health and food security is developing and implementing local food systems plans that reflect regional and local circumstances, strengths, and deficits.

Local food systems plans tackle issues such as: engaging health care systems to advocate for and provide healthier institutional food; starting new farmers markets and urban farms; changing zoning to allow the establishment of new supermarkets and other food access points; strengthening farm-to-school programs; expanding nutrition assistance programs; establishing or scaling local food hubs; and educating government officials and community members about what the food system is and why it is important. Most local planning groups are run by volunteers and are loosely organized. Full-time dedicated staff and organizational structure are needed to accelerate and improve the development of local food systems plans. In 2021, NYHealth awarded Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester, dba Food Bank of the Southern Tier, a grant to develop a formal local healthy food plan tailored to the Southern Tier and advocate for policy changes to make healthy, local, and affordable food more available to New Yorkers.

Under this grant, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier worked with partner agencies and residents most affected by food insecurity to increase community engagement and ownership. It established a working structure for the Broome County Food Council, which had been newly formed to address critical food access issues for residents. Food Bank of the Southern Tier also worked to expand resident participation in federal nutrition programs, such as SNAP and WIC, and child nutrition programs. Finally, relationships were established with local elected officials to educate and engage them on local food planning issues and opportunities to increase food security in the region.

NYHealth also supported complementary food planning initiatives with Adirondack Health Institute, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Equity Advocates, Good Food Buffalo Coalition, Common Ground Health, and Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Initiative.

Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation

A core strategy for improving health and food security is developing and implementing local food systems plans that reflect regional and local circumstances, strengths, and deficits.

Local food systems plans tackle issues such as: engaging health care systems to advocate for and provide healthier institutional food; starting new farmers markets and urban farms; changing zoning to allow the establishment of new supermarkets and other food access points; strengthening farm-to-school programs; expanding nutrition assistance programs; establishing or scaling local food hubs; and educating government officials and community members about what the food system is and why it is important. Most local planning groups are run by volunteers and are loosely organized. Full-time dedicated staff and organizational structure are needed to accelerate and improve the development of local food systems plans. In 2021, NYHealth awarded Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation a grant to develop a formal local healthy food plan tailored to Central Brooklyn and advocate for policy changes to make healthy, local, and affordable food more available to New Yorkers.

Under this grant, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation offered technical assistance to local business owners on how to source local food items. It also created a network of anchor institutions—such as retailers, farmers markets, and restaurants—committed to purchasing food from local farmers who are Black, indigenous, and people of color. Finally, it worked with community partners on implementing recommendations from a food hub feasibility study previously commissioned by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Helping to establish the food hub sparked job growth, led to reinvestment in the community, and improved supply chain opportunities for farmers of color.

NYHealth also supported complementary food planning initiatives with Adirondack Health Institute, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Common Ground Health, Equity Advocates, Good Food Buffalo Coalition, and Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Initiative.

Adirondack Health Institute, Inc.

A core strategy for improving health and food security is developing and implementing local food systems plans that reflect regional and local circumstances, strengths, and deficits.

Local food systems plans tackle issues such as: engaging health care systems to advocate for and provide healthier institutional food; starting new farmers markets and urban farms; changing zoning to allow the establishment of new supermarkets and other food access points; strengthening farm-to-school programs; expanding nutrition assistance programs; establishing or scaling local food hubs; and educating government officials and community members about what the food system is and why it is important. Most local planning groups are run by volunteers and are loosely organized. Full-time dedicated staff and organizational structure are needed to accelerate and improve the development of local food systems plans. In 2021, NYHealth awarded Adirondack Health Institute (AHI) a grant to develop a formal local healthy food plan tailored to the North Country and advocate for policy changes to make healthy, local, and affordable food more available to New Yorkers.

Under this grant, AHI formalized and expanded its regional and local food planning group and codified its food systems plan. It leveraged relationships with farms and distributors, regional community-based social service providers, and school and health care providers among nine counties to create a cohort for collective action and collaboration. These stakeholders developed a plan for meeting the needs of the region’s food-insecure residents. AHI established measurable objectives and data collection mechanisms that was used to make the case for program expansion and replication as well as ensure long-term sustainability of plans. Measures and resources was shared and compared with other local and regional food plans across the State. AHI also piloted farm-to-school and farm-to-hospital initiatives to support local farmers and connect students and individuals recently discharged from hospitals with healthy food.

NYHealth also supported complementary food planning initiatives with Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Common Ground Health, Equity Advocates, Good Food Buffalo Coalition, and Newburgh Urban Farm and Food.

caret-down