By Lisa Kashinsky | Lawrence Eagle Tribune September 16, 2015
LAWRENCE — It's an immigrant city with language barriers and poverty issues, with nearly 30 percent of its residents under the age of 18.
Those aren't just facts and notions about the city of Lawrence. They're social factors that contribute to health, and some of the factors that officials have to keep in mind when shaping the city's health and wellness programs.
Several public health programs are now moving forward with an infusion of $2.4 million from Lawrence General Hospital, city and hospital officials announced during a press conference outside the hospital Tuesday.
LAWRENCE — It's an immigrant city with language barriers and poverty issues, with nearly 30 percent of its residents under the age of 18.
Those aren't just facts and notions about the city of Lawrence. They're social factors that contribute to health, and some of the factors that officials have to keep in mind when shaping the city's health and wellness programs.
Several public health programs are now moving forward with an infusion of $2.4 million from Lawrence General Hospital, city and hospital officials announced during a press conference outside the hospital Tuesday.
“When you're doing things on a shoestring budget, things are hard to accomplish,” Mayor Daniel Rivera said. “This $2.4 million is kind of a shot in the arm, it allows them to do more.”
As part of the construction of its new surgical building, Lawrence General is donating the funds to the city over the course of six years through the state's Determination of Need program, which promotes the availability and accessibility of cost effective and high quality health care services.
Dianne Anderson, president and CEO of Lawrence General, said providing the funding would allow the hospital to expand its reach in the city to help deal with health issues such as diabetes and obesity.
“We're excited to be working together to be able to address some of the chronic health problems the city has,” Anderson said.
The funds will be utilized to help improve access to health care and healthy food options, tackle chronic health problems, and build a culture of health in the city, said Vilma Lora, coordinator of the Mayor's Health Task Force.
“If we don't create an environment where the healthy choice is the easy choice, we're not doing the work,” Lora said.
The funding will be used for three main goals – to support organizations and staff promoting public health, to fund programs and initiatives, and to help build public-private partnerships.
The four main programs that will be funded and implemented include the Mayor's Health Task Force Lawrence Youth Council; a Healthy on the Block/Bodegas Saludables program to support bodegas in supplying healthier food options; a community exercise program, and increasing mental health awareness.
With 29 percent of Lawrence residents under the age of 18 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, the Lawrence Youth Council aims to use peer leadership to advocate for health and provide civic engagement on issues such as violence and substance abuse.
A pilot program last year formed a council with 15 students and it was expanded with the Lawrence General funding to provide stipends for up to 20 Lawrence youths between the ages of 14 and 18. There are 17 teens on the council, and it has already produced a public service announcement on alcohol abuse and a public panel discussion on youth health and welfare issues.
Along with reaching out to youth, the city has been focusing on increasing healthy food options for all residents, an aim that's being furthered through the Healthy on the Block initiative for bodegas.
There are more than 90 bodegas in the city, providing an important source of food for residents, particularly in the Latino community, Lora said. However, those bodegas often have limited resources with which to offer fresh food and produce.
“With only one supermarket within city limits and an abundance of bodegas, why not capitalize on that and find ways to provide them with healthier food options,” she said.
Through Healthy on the Block, modeled after a similar program in California, 10 bodegas will be identified for a pilot program where they will receive technical and financial support - a $1,000 incentive - to help them with tasks such as increasing refrigeration, managing produce, finding affordable distributors and marketing, Lora said.
For the community exercise component, money will be put toward programs that had faltered from lack of funding. That includes the community exercise program offered at the Lawrence Senior Center, an affordable and easily accessible program open to residents young and old.
Along with healthy food options and physical activity, education is another key component of health care, Lora said. One of the aims of the city's health education is to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and substance abuse, and increase resources for residents suffering from those issues, particularly for the Latino population and new immigrants, whom Lora noted can potentially suffer from depression coming to a new city.
Funding for mental health initiatives will seek to build up the behavioral and mental health providers available to residents, as well as supporting annual mental health forums for the community. For instance, the city has created a speaker series on the topic, primarily in Spanish, that will continue this fall with the new funding.
Along with the initiatives, the city is also partnering with Boston-based organization Health Resources in Action to audit the city's Health Department and Board of Health, to “find strengths and areas for improvement,” and ways to best integrate the work of those entities into the work of the Mayor's Health Task Force,” Lora said.
Rivera said all of the initiatives receiving funding were “set up to get health care down to the people,” and that the city would “make sure every dollar gets spent appropriately.”
As part of the construction of its new surgical building, Lawrence General is donating the funds to the city over the course of six years through the state's Determination of Need program, which promotes the availability and accessibility of cost effective and high quality health care services.
Dianne Anderson, president and CEO of Lawrence General, said providing the funding would allow the hospital to expand its reach in the city to help deal with health issues such as diabetes and obesity.
“We're excited to be working together to be able to address some of the chronic health problems the city has,” Anderson said.
The funds will be utilized to help improve access to health care and healthy food options, tackle chronic health problems, and build a culture of health in the city, said Vilma Lora, coordinator of the Mayor's Health Task Force.
“If we don't create an environment where the healthy choice is the easy choice, we're not doing the work,” Lora said.
The funding will be used for three main goals – to support organizations and staff promoting public health, to fund programs and initiatives, and to help build public-private partnerships.
The four main programs that will be funded and implemented include the Mayor's Health Task Force Lawrence Youth Council; a Healthy on the Block/Bodegas Saludables program to support bodegas in supplying healthier food options; a community exercise program, and increasing mental health awareness.
With 29 percent of Lawrence residents under the age of 18 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, the Lawrence Youth Council aims to use peer leadership to advocate for health and provide civic engagement on issues such as violence and substance abuse.
A pilot program last year formed a council with 15 students and it was expanded with the Lawrence General funding to provide stipends for up to 20 Lawrence youths between the ages of 14 and 18. There are 17 teens on the council, and it has already produced a public service announcement on alcohol abuse and a public panel discussion on youth health and welfare issues.
Along with reaching out to youth, the city has been focusing on increasing healthy food options for all residents, an aim that's being furthered through the Healthy on the Block initiative for bodegas.
There are more than 90 bodegas in the city, providing an important source of food for residents, particularly in the Latino community, Lora said. However, those bodegas often have limited resources with which to offer fresh food and produce.
“With only one supermarket within city limits and an abundance of bodegas, why not capitalize on that and find ways to provide them with healthier food options,” she said.
Through Healthy on the Block, modeled after a similar program in California, 10 bodegas will be identified for a pilot program where they will receive technical and financial support - a $1,000 incentive - to help them with tasks such as increasing refrigeration, managing produce, finding affordable distributors and marketing, Lora said.
For the community exercise component, money will be put toward programs that had faltered from lack of funding. That includes the community exercise program offered at the Lawrence Senior Center, an affordable and easily accessible program open to residents young and old.
Along with healthy food options and physical activity, education is another key component of health care, Lora said. One of the aims of the city's health education is to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and substance abuse, and increase resources for residents suffering from those issues, particularly for the Latino population and new immigrants, whom Lora noted can potentially suffer from depression coming to a new city.
Funding for mental health initiatives will seek to build up the behavioral and mental health providers available to residents, as well as supporting annual mental health forums for the community. For instance, the city has created a speaker series on the topic, primarily in Spanish, that will continue this fall with the new funding.
Along with the initiatives, the city is also partnering with Boston-based organization Health Resources in Action to audit the city's Health Department and Board of Health, to “find strengths and areas for improvement,” and ways to best integrate the work of those entities into the work of the Mayor's Health Task Force,” Lora said.
Rivera said all of the initiatives receiving funding were “set up to get health care down to the people,” and that the city would “make sure every dollar gets spent appropriately.”
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