Health Department’s Community Health Worker Program Leads To Healthy Harlem Residents

March 21, 2018

The Health Department’s Center for Health Equity today announced that the Harlem Health Advocacy Partners (HHAP) program has improved health outcomes for Harlem residents. HHAP, a community health worker program launched in 2015, connects people living in five NYCHA developments in East and Central Harlem to neighborhood resources that can help them manage their current health conditions, enroll and save on health insurance, and get involved with community organizing. The program has engaged more than 3,000 individuals in over 600 wellness activities – including walking groups, health screenings, and wellness workshops – and from 2016 to 2017, its 12 community health workers conducted some 2,500 one-on-one health coaching visits with 678 HHAP participants. Data show that after six months, over 90 percent of HHAP health coaching participants made progress in achieving their health goals. HHAP has also helped over 900 participants with 2,000 health insurance-related issues. Health advocates saved Harlem residents $200,000 in health care spending or out-of-pocket costs due to problems such as billing errors, coverage disputes or expensive drug copays. To read stories about HHAP participants and community health workers, follow the #NeighborhoodVoicesNYC series on the Health Department’s social media channels.

“Community health is a critical way for us to support wellness at the individual level,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. “Harlem Health Advocacy Partners promotes individual health by connecting participants with health coaching, social services and community resources. But the program doesn’t stop there. HHAP also provides tools to help East and Central Harlem residents advocate for the change they want to see in their communities.”

HHAP is a partnership between the Center for Health Equity’s Harlem Neighborhood Health Action Centers and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), Community Service Society of New York (CSS) and NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center. The program provides a wide variety of resources, including: asthma management; diabetes or hypertension control; obtaining wheelchairs, walkers and monitoring devices; smoking cessation; escorted doctor visits; SNAP or other supplemental food benefits; nutrition and cooking classes; walking groups; services for seniors; help living with HIV/AIDS; legal assistance; and art therapy. In addition, its Community Activation Team has organized 11 workshops to train community residents in community advocacy. The HHAP Community Activation Team also raised $3,000 through crowdfunding to provide community organizer training to members. To learn more about HHAP, visit nyc.gov/health.

“Harlem has a rich history of community organizing and activism,” said Dr. Aletha Maybank, Deputy Commissioner and Director of the Center for Health Equity. “Through HHAP’s Community Activation Teams and our #NeighborhoodVoicesNYC campaign, we are creating opportunities to amplify voices and lived experiences of our residents.”

“The new #NeighborhoodVoicesNYC campaign will create further awareness of critical neighborhood health resources and services offered by the HHAP program and also help reduce health disparities that continue to affect vulnerable communities in Harlem,” said NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye.

“CSS is proud to be a partner on this important community initiative. Advancing and improving health equity requires us to directly focus on communities experiencing the greatest disparities through addressing social and environmental determinants,” said David R. Jones, President and CEO of Community Service Society.”

“As the evaluation partner to the HHAP Project, the NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center at NYU School of Medicine is pleased to provide ongoing population health and community engagement expertise to improve and deepen the project’s impact in the community. We are continually inspired by the vision of the project and the commitment of its staff.” said Lorna E. Thorpe, Professor of Population Health and Director of the Division of Epidemiology at NYU School of Medicine.

“Healthy communities are thriving communities! I commend the NYC Health Department on the success of the Harlem Health Advocacy Partners (HHAP) program and its efforts to help improve the lives and wellbeing of residents in East and Central Harlem,” said Uptown Representative Adriano Espaillat. “Health disparities have a disproportionate impact on minority communities and the HHAP program does tremendous work to help our neighbors, friends, and families gain access and understanding of the resources available to them within the community to help keep them healthy and achieve health equity.”

“Bringing services into the community and engaging with people where they are is always the right move,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “Access is a key challenge not just for healthcare but for social services, legal services, and a host of other essentials that help working families. Bringing professionals into the community to help people get the care and services they need bridges the gap and improves lives.”

“Since HHAP came to East Harlem, our NYCHA residents are getting connected to health and wellness programs that are helping residents make better decisions about their health and helping neighbors become advocates for their communities. HHAP is helping to reduce health disparities and I look forward to seeing the program’s continued success,” said Assembly Member Robert J. Rodríguez.

The NYU-CUNY PRC’s core research focuses on community health workers who bridge the gap between underserved communities and clinical care, and includes Project IMPACT (Implementing Million Hearts for Provider and Community Transformation).


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Harlem World Magazine, 2521 1/2 west 42nd street, Los Angeles, CA, 90008, https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
We're your source for local coverage, we count on your support. SPONSOR US!
Your support is crucial in maintaining a healthy democracy and quality journalism. With your contribution, we can continue to provide engaging news and free access to all.
accepted credit cards

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles