Health Equity
LISC NY’s health equity initiatives focus on improving long-term health outcomes for members of disinvested communities across New York. We know that where you live often has a direct impact on your long-term health outcomes. Housing, healthy food, green space, recreation, safe environments and many other social factors contribute to holistic health. Yet, many low-income communities across New York lack access to these resources, leading to disparate health outcomes. This is why LISC NY aims to bring about health equity by impacting the social determinants of health.
We do this work by tapping into our years of expertise in building cross-sector partnerships. LISC NY is working to foster working relationships between two important sectors – health care and community development. For example, our Bridges to Health Equity program is a multi-sector initiative to help the community development and health sectors better collaborate to improve asthma outcomes for low-income New Yorkers. The Peloton Community Wellness Initiative is partnership between LISC NY, Peloton, and WHEDCo to advance racial equity and democratize access to fitness resources in the Bronx. The Vaccine Access Fund is a nationwide initiative to help connect people in underserved communities without transportation to access free rides to COVID-19 vaccination sites.
Our current work in this area has been informed by past programs such as Two Shades of Green and the Communities for Healthy Food. Our approach is to support our community-based partners to increase their capacity, create new partnerships, and access to sustainable funding sources.
