Let’s Get Healthy, Boston! Launch
On Saturday, September 19, over 300 Boston residents, along with Congressman Michael Capuano; Boston Chief of Health and Human Services Felix Arroyo; City Councilor Tito Jackson; and BPHC’s Interim Executive Director Dr. Huy Nguyen, celebrated the early success of Let’s Get Healthy, Boston! with a healthy and fun event at the Roxbury YMCA.
The event provided a space for partners, organizations, neighborhood residents and HCCs to network, have fun and reflect on the great work happening in Boston Congressman Capuano talked about his support for this initiative and the significance of federal funding to improving the health of local communities. Chief Arroyo emphasized that addressing health disparities is a priority of Mayor Walsh and projects like this one support that aim. Dr. Nguyen talked about the importance of addressing policy and systems changes to make an impact on the health of Boston’s residents, and thanked the Champions for their work. Two of our HCCs, Esther Medina and Vivian Ortiz reflected on the importance of the work of Let’s Get Healthy, Boston! for their neighborhoods.
Community Engagement & Membership Committee
CEMC remains committed to diversifying community partnerships and increasing resident involvement in our efforts to support healthy communities through education, communication, and collaboration.
This past fall, we (in cooperation with neighborhood coalitions and partners) wrapped up a 10-workshop series, which provided educational opportunities to our membership. The topics ranged from stress management to immigrant leadership. Our September workshop, which focused on tenant rights, was facilitated by Michael Kane, Director of Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants. About 20 residents gathered at the Josephine A. Fiorentino Community Center in Brighton to learn more about public housing, section 8 vouchers and HUD affordable housing. We heard personal stories reflecting gentrification and the rise of evictions in our neighborhoods. The workshop concluded with a Q&A session and discussion around new legislation. This is just one example of the many informative workshops we held throughout 2015. Overall, we attracted more than 150 new members into the BACH community. In 2016, the workshop series is entitled, “Passport to Public Health,” where we will move across neighborhoods with new topics to engage our membership.
We were also able to implement some new programs, including BachLEARN and member scholarships. BachLEARN, (Leadership, Education and Activism Resource Newsletter) is a bi-monthly listing of local training opportunities that closely align with BACH’s strategic issues. In conjunction, we hope to make these trainings more accessible by offering scholarships and stipends to our members. Currently, our budget allows for up $250 scholarships for fees, and $35-$70 daily stipends. We hope this will assist our members with gaining skills to be successful advocates with public health issues. Please check out the Community Engagement section of our website for more details.