NYAM is committed to eliminating inequities in birth outcomes, child health and maternal health. We’re addressing these issues by conducting data-driven research on maternal and child health, convening health professionals to identify solutions to address maternal mortality, and importantly, amplifying the voices of community members on what their children need in order to be healthy and thrive.
Selected Work
Building Collaborations to Support Maternal Health
In 2021, NYAM’s Center for Community Partnerships and Policy Solutions partnered with the NYC Health Department on a community-based research project to advance reproductive justice and health equity. The project aimed to improve collaborations between birthing people, families, community organizations, hospitals, and healthcare providers. As part of this work, NYAM hosted a series of virtual community conversations with NYC residents, birth justice advocates, and healthcare providers to identify strengths in individuals, families, and communities that lead to better outcomes and experiences and solicit recommendations for addressing systemic issues.
YouthWorksNYC Virtual Community for Youth in Foster Care
NYAM is partnering with the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to promote health equity among youth in foster care and juvenile justice settings. Through this partnership, ACS and NYAM launched YouthworksNYC, a virtual community program that focuses on health and well-being for older youth in foster care during COVID-19. Following a successful pilot in 2020, the program expanded in 2021 to reach more youth with funding from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.
Visit the YouthworksNYC Website
Maternal and Child Health Equity
In 2020, NYAM launched a new initiative focused on maternal and child health equity that includes a 13-member Women's Health Research & Well-being Workgroup and a virtual summit hosted in partnership with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Goals include supporting the dissemination of innovative research and advocating for fundamental policy changes at the state and federal level to achieve high-quality, equitable care for women and children.
View Press Release
Visit Workgroup
East Harlem Action Collaborative for Child Health and Well-Being
Through the East Harlem Action Collaborative, NYAM is elevating the voices of caregivers to build a better and healthier future for the 8,000 local children living in poverty. By bringing together the trusted voices of resident caregivers along with direct service providers, technical advisors, and elected and public officials, we’re helping to ensure their children’s needs are met. Central to this work is learning not only about the challenges families face, but also about the assets that families leverage to raise healthy children in East Harlem despite systemic barriers.
Visit EHAC
Health Data for New York City (HD4NYC)
Through HD4NYC—an innovative and collaborative research effort—we’re working to address inequities in maternal and child health in NYC. In partnership with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, this first-of-its-kind program facilitates access to Health Department data for a multidisciplinary group of researchers and mentors from academic institutions, the Health Department, and NYAM to generate research that can inform policies and programs addressing health disparities.
Visit HD4NYC Microsite
Healthy Start Evaluation
NYAM’s Center for Evaluation and Applied Research (CEAR) is the evaluator for two Healthy Start Programs in New York City—Bronx Healthy Start and Queens Healthy Start—which are federally funded programs that serve pregnant and new parents, children and families. CEAR works collaboratively with both programs to collect data to assess program impact and guide quality improvement for better health outcomes before, during and after pregnancy and to reduce racial and ethnic differences in rates of infant death and negative maternal health outcomes. CEAR also leads a learning collaborative that brings together the programs to learn from each other and promote best practices.
Family Resilience Program Evaluation
CEAR also is working on behalf of Montefiore Medical Center to conduct interviews that aim to understand the impact of its Family Resilience Program, which has provided critical financial relief and other supports to low-income families that lost a breadwinner or caretaker to COVID-19. This work additionally seeks to understand families’ scope of needs; program challenges and successes; and lessons learned that may inform sustainability, expansion and replication. The program and evaluation are funded by the Robin Hood Foundation.
Lifting the Voices of Youth to Address Gun Violence
NYAM has partnered with UNICEF USA, The Heritage School in East Harlem and Counseling In Schools to form an enduring collaboration to address gun violence. This Intergenerational Action Adolescent & Child Team (IAACT) is driven by the belief that the voices of youth need to be placed on par with those of the traditional subject matter experts when defining problems, opportunities and possible solutions to entrenched problems. Using community assessment tools developed by UNICEF USA, Heritage School student interns are working with IAACT faculty to assess the East Harlem community’s assets and needs. NYAM and The Heritage School also established the NYAM-IAACT Leadership Awards in 2021 to recognize students demonstrating extraordinary leadership during their service to the project.
More information is available on the Counseling in Schools website.
Related Publications, Events & News
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