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Brooklyn Task Force on Infant and Maternal Mortality and Family Health
Who we are:
A voluntary network of community based organizations (CBOs),
community leaders and organizers service providers, health
care professionals, area residents (clients), businesses and
others with interest in working together to address infant/child,
maternal and family health and community well being. We foster
collaboration, cooperation and exchange of information, aimed
at coordinating services, reducing and preventing the troubling
disparities in health and wellness outcomes within and among
communities and ethnic and racial groups of Brooklyn.
Our strategies:
| 1. |
Advocacy for the development and institution of supportive
maternal child and family health, public and administrative
policies. |
| 2. |
Education of community leaders, service providers, public
officials, residents and others to increase their awareness
of and involvement with health issues. |
| 3. |
Involvement of State Holders in Community organization
and coordination of health actions to bring desired improvement
in policies and their administrative implementation. |
| 4. |
Community education and services coordination to optimize
the health of women, infants/children and childbearing
families and to promote community health and well-being. |
| 5. |
Facilitation of capacity building for service provision
for small CBOs. |
Historical background:
The Task Force emerged in 2000 resulting from recommendations
of the BPN’s annual policymaker and service provider
informational breakfast meeting (4/28/00) on maternal and
child health (MCH). BPN existed as a state supported Perinatal
Network forum for 12 years until 2000 when CWHA received this
state designation for a primary focus on Caribbean and immigrant
maternal and child health in central Brooklyn communities.
BPN and CWHA have been and are committed to partnership and
leadership for collaboration to address MCH and related issues
and concerns of vulnerable communities in Brooklyn.
Our focus is Brooklyn wide, with special emphasis on communities
and populations experiencing disparate and poor maternal and
child health status, when compared to others in the borough,
city, state and nation. Working together we become much greater
than the sum of our individual parts, with respect to capacity
to bring and sustain positive and desired change in health
status. We know it takes a village to raise a child successfully.
Some early successes:
| 1. |
With support from other citywide coalition partners,
secured in the NYC budget allocations and restorations
of public health funding cuts (3 years in a row 2001,
2002 & 2003) for Maternal Child Health (MCH) and other
safety net health programs and services, including $5M
for a historic community Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative
(IMRI) each year. |
| 2. |
Collaboration with other citywide partners to successfully
negotiate with NYCDOHMH, resulting in the distribution
of IMRI funding to over 30 designated CBOs citywide. |
| 3. |
Consistent participation of over 30 CBOs in the Task
Force work decisions and activities, combined with involvement
of individual area residents. |
| 4. |
Successful organization of community residents in Brooklyn
to support and prevent harmful city budget cuts proposed
by the Mayor. |
| 5. |
Leadership to propose development of Maternal Child
Health supportive public policy. |
Funding support:
The Task Force will seek and accept funding from participating
member organizations, businesses, individuals, the philanthropic
community and others as appropriate.
The Brooklyn Task Force on Infant
and Maternal Mortality and Family Health is convened by:
Brooklyn Perinatal Network, Inc.
Ngozi Moses, Executive Director
Task Force CO-Chairs are:
Dr. Georgianna Glose, PhD
Rev. Jonathan Owhe
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