Expanding students’ access to reproductive health services…outreach to New Yorkers about the risks of dementia and connecting them to helpful resources…enhancing coordination of early intervention services for young children – these are just some of the public health initiatives and programs FPHNYC’s foundation partners are helping make possible through grant funding.
One of FPHNYC’s core focuses and areas of expertise is working with foundation partners to secure private funding for programs and initiatives that benefit New Yorkers through the services of the Health Department. Often, these grants help leverage new and additional public investment in vital public health services. Some programs benefitting from more than $ 5 million in grants awarded to FPHNYC in the last few months include:
Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure (BOLD)
Initially launched with funding from the CDC, the NYC BOLD Program utilizes a public health approach to address Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Actions include education about early detection and diagnosis, promoting brain health through healthy habits, and increasing access to resources. The John A. Hartford Foundation awarded funding to enhance community health worker outreach and engagement as part of the program.
“We are proud to support the NYC BOLD Program’s community-centered work to advance health equity by promoting brain health and age-friendly care for older adults and their families living with dementia.”
Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, President, The John A. Hartford Foundation
Early Intervention
Early Intervention (EI) is a free program that assists and empowers families with young children who have developmental disabilities. Expanding access to EI and enhancing follow-up and retention, especially for children living in neighborhoods with high poverty rates, is a priority for the Health Department. A grant from Robin Hood will help integrate developmental screenings in more childcare programs in NYC and funding from Tiger Foundation is expanding the use of electronic health records to monitor children’s progress and address any emerging barriers.
Medicaid Expansion for Older New Yorkers
Undocumented New Yorkers aged 65 and older are eligible to enroll in the state’s expanded Medicaid-managed care insurance plan, but many are not aware of the fact. The Health Department is partnering with community-based organizations to coordinate targeted public messaging and increase knowledge of this opportunity to enroll in Medicaid, thanks in large part to funding from The Altman Foundation and The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation.
Coalition to End Racism in Clinical Algorithms (CERCA)
Clinical algorithms are tools used by clinicians to guide their decision-making. However, these algorithms often incorporate “race adjustment” to account for biological factors, leading to inequitable treatment and care for patients of color. Since 2021, CERCA has been successful in working to educate clinicians about harmful race-based clinical algorithms and end their use. The SCAN Foundation is funding the development of a “playbook” that will be used to disseminate the learnings and strategies of CERCA so that it can be replicated nationally by other partners.
“Clinical algorithms using race adjustment often negatively impact treatment and care for people of color, including older adults of color. CERCA is leading the way in New York City, advocating for health systems to stop the inclusion of race adjustment in their clinical algorithms,” said The SCAN Foundation’s Vice President of Innovation and Investment, Anika Heavener. “The SCAN Foundation funded a grant that will take the lessons learned from CERCA’s cutting-edge efforts in New York and create a toolkit to support more health systems, community clinics, and safety-net providers to end the use of race adjustments in their clinical algorithms.”
Reproductive Health Project
Many school-based health centers (SBHCs) in NYC offer comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care for adolescents, including providing the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine series to prevent HPV-related cancers. The JPB Foundation has supported these SBHCs with a series of multi-year grants, and the Foundation recently provided a final grant for high-quality primary and preventive health services in NYC public schools.
Learn more about how you can join with FPHNYC and the Health Department to advance the shared goal of improving the health and well-being of New Yorkers. Contact development@fphnyc.org