One size doesn’t fit all: the need for local approaches to improve neighborhood health
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Contributor(s):
- New York State Health Foundation, issuing body.
- Publication:
- New York, NY : New York State Health Foundation, April 2018
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Community Health Services Health Promotion Residence Characteristics New York United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Many communities across the country suffer from poor health outcomes related to obesity, heart disease, asthma, and other chronic conditions. These issues are exacerbated for socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, who face additional barriers to a healthy lifestyle such as limited access to health care providers, healthy foods, or safe places to be physically active. In response, initiatives have been launched by various stakeholders--including federal, state, and local governments, as well as foundations--to help build healthier communities, focusing on those most in need. These efforts are largely organized through grant-based programs. In this brief, we take an in-depth look at the communities that are part of the New York State Health Foundation's Building Healthy Communities initiative. The program seeks to improve neighborhood health by (1) expanding access to and demand for nutritious foods and (2) expanding access to safe places where residents can be more physically active. The Foundation's place-making model builds on similar efforts that have been conducted across the country. For example, the CDC's Healthy Communities Program supported efforts in more than 300 communities across the country involving local, state, and national partnerships to prevent chronic diseases and reduce health gaps. The six Building Healthy Communities neighborhoods are spread throughout New York State: Clinton County; Brownsville, Brooklyn; East Harlem, Manhattan; Near Westside, Syracuse; North End, Niagara Falls; and Two Bridges, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. For more information on the goals and efforts within these communities to date, visit the New York State Health Foundation website. In this brief, we examine characteristics of these communities, including demographic as well as health status and health care utilization attributes. We focus our analysis on the Medicaid population within these communities. Medicaid enrollees are low-income and traditionally suffer poorer health outcomes than higher-income populations. Hence, focusing on Medicaid beneficiaries can offer a better understanding of the most vulnerable within the communities, who also stand to benefit the most from initiatives such as Building Healthy Communities. We find that while there are some core commonalities, there is much more diversity across these communities. This diversity calls for a resident-led and community-driven strategy to address the health needs of the neighborhoods.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (11 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101770904 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101770904