Located in one of the most affluent yet unequal and segregated cities, the Bronx has some of the worst health outcomes in the nation. This reality is not by mistake but by design.
NWBCCC is committed to creating health equity for poor and working-class people of color in the Bronx. Our Health Justice Committee builds democratic community power for quality, universal healthcare. We build models for preventative, community-based care that address root causes of health inequity and promote holistic wellness.
Campaign for New York Health
Guaranteed Healthcare for All
We are proud members of the Campaign for New York Health, a state-wide coalition of patients, healthcare workers, and advocates fighting to pass universal healthcare in New York. While private health insurers make record profits, the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened longstanding health inequities and done the greatest harm to Black and Brown communities.
The New York Health Act will establish a single-payer healthcare system that will guarantee comprehensive and affordable health coverage for all New Yorkers. That means everyone will get quality care regardless of employment, income, age, or immigration status. It includes long-term care to ensure that elders and folks with disabilities get the care they need while their caregivers are compensated for their labor. Everybody in, nobody out!
Join us in building the movement for universal, guaranteed healthcare!
Community-led Health Action Planning
Addressing community health At the Root
We train Bronx residents to identify the root causes, or social and economic drivers, of poor health outcomes and health disparities beyond individual choice. We then build leadership in local residents to develop community health action plans that address systemic barriers.
In addition, we partnered with NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Hester Street Collaborative to develop a model for participatory community health planning, as part of Take Care NY, a citywide initiative to eliminate health disparities and inequity. Through this model, Northwest Bronx residents identified violence as a top barrier to health and are implementing a plan to address its economic roots through local job creation, training, and apprenticeship programs.
Highlighted Victories
In 2015, we passed the School Toxins Disclosure Act (Intro 126), which requires the Department of Education to immediately notify parents and staff when it discovers contamination in NYC schools and keep them informed of clean up plans. We also mandated and oversaw the successful clean up of a toxic former school site through the NY State Brownfield Program.
In 2014, we worked with labor and health advocates to reopen the Labor and Delivery Unit in North Central Bronx Hospital, and secured $600,000 of City Council investment to renovate the facility.
In 1997, our former Crotona Community Coalition opened the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center, a community-run, health and wellness center. The center provides nutrition, arts, and athletic classes; organizes for community recreation, gardens, employment, and safety; and remains active in our Health Justice Committee.