Fort Greene/Downtown Brooklyn Community Focuses on Welcoming Healthy Children Back to School This Fall

Free health screenings and helpful information to be distributed

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Aug. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, August 20, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Brooklyn Perinatal Network, Inc. and the Brooklyn Child Health Clinic Coalition will hold a "Fort Greene Back to School Celebration" on Flatbush Extension between Fulton St. and DeKalb Ave. in the Fort Greene/Downtown area ofBrooklyn. Over 500 families are anticipated to participate in a day filled with live entertainment, as well as fun activities for children and parents. In addition, the festival will provide opportunities for free health screenings which include dental, cholesterol, diabetes, and blood pressure testing among others.

According to New York City Department of Health statistics, Northwest andCentral Brooklyn rates highest in low birth weight and the second highest in infant mortality as compared to the entire borough. In addition, the same study indicates thatCentral Brooklyn rates fourth in late or no prenatal care in the entire city ofNew York. Denise West, Deputy Director of the Brooklyn Perinatal Network, (BPN), and leader of the coalition said that the focus is on children getting services that they need. "The Lafayette Child Health Clinic is open and ready to provide care but the Fort Greene Clinic, which was originally scheduled to open in July, is now scheduled to reopen in October instead. It is unfortunate that the Fort Greene Clinic will not be functioning in time for the back to school rush for services," says Ms. West.

The local community-based, easily accessible Child Health Clinics are facing an uphill battle throughout the boroughs. "Many had been closed in past years, but there is renewed interest and commitment by the Health & Hospitals Corporation," stated Judy Wessler, Director of the Commission on the Public's Health System (CPHS), a not-for-profit health advocacy organization. Several of the clinics located in the city's Department of Health (DOH) buildings are currently closed because of construction or the department's interest in expanding their administrative space. "It is most unfortunate to lose valuable primary care services in low-income, immigrant and communities of color, which is why it is imperative that the Fort Greene clinic reopens as quickly as possible," concluded Ms. Wessler.

The Fort Greene/Downtown Brooklyn festival is part of year-long, city-wide initiative celebrating the 100th anniversary of New York's Child Health Clinics organized by a Child Health Planning Committee. In 2007, CPHS established this committee to plan a series of activities in commemoration of this significant milestone. An important part of this effort is the formation of five borough coalitions led by: the Brooklyn Perinatal Network; The Bronx Health Link; El Centro inStaten Island; Make the Road by Walking inQueens; and the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation. These organizations are conducting surveys of parents within their respective communities on the health of their children and access to health care services in their communities. Additionally, they plan to address the same questions with Teen discussion groups. The results of the survey will be published in a report titled "Voices from the Community" scheduled for release late fall. One of the goals of this initiative is to ensure that all children have health insurance coverage and a place to obtain ongoing comprehensive health care services. The organization refers to this as "medical home."

For more information on the Fort Greene event, contact Denise West at (718) 643-8258 ext. 21 or Jasmin Milliner at (718) 643-8258 ext. 17.

About CPHS: The Commission on the Public's Health System is a non-profit health advocacy organization established in 1991. The organization's mission is to facilitate the inclusion of public involvement in health issues serving the diverse needs ofNew York City communities. In 2007, CPHS organized a Child Health Planning Committee that developed plans for a year-long celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the city's Child Health Clinics. The planning committee includes: CPHS; Children's Defense Fund -New York; Citizens Committee for Children; Coalition for Asian American Children and Families; American Academy of Pediatrics, Chapters 2 & 3; Local 436, AFSCME; ACS - Head Start; Coalition for Asian American Children & Families; New York Immigration Coalition; New York City Council; Parent to Parent of NYS; Council of Municipal Hospitals Community Boards; and the New York Health & Hospitals Corporation. Funding for this project comes from: TheNew York State Health Foundation; The New York Community Trust; United Hospital Fund; New York City Council; NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation; MetroPlus Health Plan; and Healthfirst Health Plan. For more information log onto http://www.cphsnyc.org or call 212.246.0803.

SOURCE The Commission on the Public?s Health System