CCB has been a leading sponsor—providing both human and financial resources—for Participatory Action Research (PAR) projects in Brooklyn neighborhoods where health disparities are most evident. Based on the premise that those most affected by issues have the most insight into how best to find solutions that benefit the community as a whole, the PAR projects lift up the lived experiences and intelligence of community members.
Each PAR report to date has produced community-generated recommendations for improving health and wellness and united community stakeholders, labor unions, community-based organizations, elected officials, and others on a range of issues. Findings from the PAR projects have also shed light on a need for Brooklyn’s stakeholders to work together to leverage the infrastructure and relationships built through DSRIP. Greater unity and a more comprehensive vision among stakeholders will allow us to tackle long-running, interrelated issues and to drive change in more proactive and collaborative ways.
We believe that PAR is an important part of the continuum of investments being made in New York’s health system. By building the leadership, knowledge and civic infrastructure that are crucial to their success, efforts like PAR can reshape the health care system to address not just physical health more effectively, but the economic, social, and cultural factors that so strongly influence the wellbeing of Brooklyn residents of all ages.
Between 2016 and 2019 PAR teams of 40 – 50 student researchers surveyed neighborhoods of Central, East, and Southwest Brooklyn to learn what would make a difference in improving health and wellness. Finding affordable, safe and healthy housing in Brooklyn has become a challenge for communities where residents are of low to moderate income and have poorer access to resources.
Sponsors and Research Team Coordinators: Community Care of Brooklyn (CCB) /Maimonides Medical Center (MMC); Community Action and Advocacy Workgroup
Participatory Action Research on COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination (2021)
From January 27th – February 1, 2021, a team of 22 WEB youth researchers conducted a brief survey on experiences and perspectives with COVID-19 testing and vaccination with more than 1,600 Brooklynites.
Sponsors and Research Team Coordinators: Community Care of Brooklyn (CCB) /Maimonides Medical Center (MMC)
Bay Ridge, Borough Park, Kensington, Midwood, and Sunset Park (2019)
Focus of Recommendations: Physical and mental health; housing affordability and access; immigrant advocacy and support; access to resources; community engagement; physical environment
Sponsors and Research Team Coordinators: CCB; Brooklyn College; Kingsborough Community College; Dubois-Bunche Center for Public Policy at Medgar Evers College; MIT CoLab
Canarsie, Flatlands, Flatbush (2018)
Sponsors and Research Team Coordinators: CCB; Kingsborough Community College; Wellness Empowerment for Brooklyn; Dubois-Bunche Center for Public Policy at Medgar Evers College; MIT CoLab
Bedford Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, and East Flatbush (2017)
Focus of Recommendations: Housing affordability through equitable development strategies; Individual income and community wealth; Local organizing capacity; Hospitals as economic and community anchors; Health care workers in community leadership roles
Sponsors and Research Team Coordinators: CCB; New York Community Trust; Interfaith Medical Center; Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center; Dubois-Bunche Center for Public Policy at Medgar Evers College; NextShift Collaborative, LLC
Brownsville and East New York (2016)
Focus of Recommendations: Food justice; Nutrition; Physical Activity
Sponsors and Research Team Coordinators: CCB; Dubois-Bunche Center for Public Policy at Medgar Evers College; NextShift Collaborative, LLC
Outcomes:
- The East Brooklyn Call to Action: The East Brooklyn Call to Action is an ongoing collaboration between residents, community organizations, elected officials, and labor groups to build upon the Brownsville and East New York PAR findings in four areas where attention and resources are most needed: Food & Fitness, Health & Housing, Premature Mortality, and Workforce Strategy. Based on community feedback, the East Brooklyn Call to Action will determine which action area to address first.
- Brownsville Collaborative Middle School Hydroponic Farm: Based on PAR findings around access to nutritious foods, CCB teamed up with Teens for Food Justice to build a hydroponic farm at Brownsville Collaborative Middle School. Students now spend some of their science class periods learning about the farming process, planting and harvesting crops, and learning how to cook the food they have grown. The farm is expected to produce 15,000 pounds of fresh, nutritious produce every year for their school and the larger Brownsville community through a food box program, which allows community members to buy a week’s worth of produce for $14. More from NPR here!