JSI 33d ago

New York State’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities (CHSC) (2021-2026) is a public health initiative that increases opportunities for physical activity and access to healthy, nutrient-dense food for people of all ages. In this video, CHSC grantee, Bronx Health REACH shares a success story from its efforts working with partners on CHSC. In the Bronx, one initiative involved helping schools lower teacher turnover rates, student absenteeism, and student behavioral issues and excessive screentime. Schools implemented a variety of innovative initiatives such as a teacher wellness lounge. Plus, the effort expanded into the use of Open Streets to provide an open and safe area for physical activity and more. Watch the video to learn more about what CHSC grantee Bronx Health REACH and its partners accomplished over the course of the grant. The goal of CHSC is to establish and support sustainable healthy communities as places where it is easier to practice healthy behaviors, and to reduce disparities in high-need areas through strengths-based action and community-based action with policy change, systems change, and environmental changes. Since 2021, 5 regions in New York received grants to improve around 225 local communities. Grantees completed a variety of local projects and community level interventions including enhancing infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, land use planning, street design and connectivity, safe routes to schools and parks designs, Open Streets, Complete Streets, active transportation, bicycling advocacy, pedestrian safety, food pantry improvements, cafeteria and vending machine changes, school policy and environment improvements, local school wellness policy updates, Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) work, Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP), creating healthy school nutrition environments, workplace policy and environment improvements, and early education/childcare policy and environment improvements in family day care homes, day care centers, and Pre-K programs. 🔗 Learn more about CHSC here: health.ny.gov/prevention/obesity/prevention_activities/chsc/ This video project was supported with funds from the State of New York. All photos and/or video courtesy of the organization that participated in the video. Thank you to Diana Bernal, Program Coordinator at Bronx Health REACH, for recording this video.