Health and Human Services

 

 

 

Please visit the Health, Human Services & Immigration Committee page for information on meeting dates and minutes.

 

 

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Health & Human Services Information & Resources: 

 

 

East Harlem Vital Statistics 

 

New York City is the most diverse city in the U.S. — a fact reflected in the distinct character of each neighborhood. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene published the second edition of Community Health Profiles to examine preventable causes of illness and death in all of NYC’s 42 neighborhoods. Please click here to view the full East Harlem Community Health Profile.

Key health issues in East Harlem include:

• East Harlem residents experience more barriers to health care access than those in NYC overall, with 3 in 10 without a regular doctor and more than 20% of residents visiting the emergency department for routine health care. Also, the rate of uninsurance in East Harlem increased between 2002 and 2004.

• Although death rates due to HIV disease have decreased in East Harlem during the past decade, this community has the second highest HIV-related death rate in the city.

• Almost two thirds of East Harlem adults are overweight or obese, and black and Hispanic residents are more likely to be obese than other residents.

 

 

Eating Well in Harlem 

 

Obesity is a major health problem in New York City— more than half of adult New Yorkers are either overweight or obese. Being at an unhealthy weight increases a person’s risk of developing many conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, and heart disease.

Poor neighborhoods have higher rates of obesity and more deaths due to diabetes and heart disease than more affluent neighborhoods. About 31% of adults in East Harlem and 27% in Central Harlem are obese; in contrast, the citywide obesity rate is 22%, and on the Upper East Side (a wealthier neighborhood next to East Harlem), 9% of adults are obese. About 13% of adults in East Harlem and 12% in Central Harlem have diabetes, compared with 9% of adults citywide and
3%* on the Upper East Side.

 

Healthy eating habits and increased physical activity are the most important ways to fight the obesity epidemic. Yet we know that neighborhood conditions and resources, particularly access to healthy food options, can have a profound impact on residents’ everyday lives. Research suggests that access to food— including the availability, quality, and price of healthy foods, and the presence of supermarkets and advertising—affect the food choices of residents, many of whom shop close to home.

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene published a report titled Eating Well In Harlem, which examines the retail food environment in Central and East Harlem. The Upper East Side was used as a comparison neighborhood—although it is geographically contiguous to East Harlem and has a similar residential and commercial mix, the area has much lower rates of illness.

 

 

 

Get Healthy Harlem

 

The Harlem Health Promotion Center (HHPC) is a collaboration of community, academic and public health stakeholders which uses research, education, advocacy and service delivery to improve the health and well-being of the Harlem community.

 

We have worked in Harlem for over 20 years, with leaders and members of the Harlem community to promote the health and well-being of the neighborhood.

 

GetHealthyHarlem.org is the result of years of collaboration between HHPC, community members and leaders. It is a health information website where Harlem residents, businesses and organizations can find local information about getting and staying healthy. It's also a place for sharing information and connecting with community members.

In short, this website is designed in Harlem, for Harlem, by Harlem.

 

**Check out the HHPC Spring 2008 Newsletter (Attached Below)**

 

Contact Information:

 

215 W. 125th Street, First Floor
New York, NY 10027

 

website: www.gethealthyharlem.org

 

email: GetHealthyHarlem@gmail.com

 

p: (646) 284.9777

f:  (646) 284.9729

 

HHPC, one of the 33 Prevention Research Centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is under the administration of the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

 

 

Attachment	Size
EastHarlemHealthProfile.pdf	517.44 KB
EatingWellinHarlem.pdf	770.25 KB
HHPCNewsletterSpring2008.pdf	1.97 MB