SBH Health System serves a low income and ethnically diverse population, with most of our patients covered by Medicaid. The average income for a family of four is well below the poverty level. Unemployment is high and educational levels low, as are the measures of health and wellness. The prevalence of obesity, asthma, diabetes, and heart disease are the highest in New York City, as is the incidence of substance abuse, non-accidental trauma, and behavioral health diagnoses.

For this reason we are making a significant investment in addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH) that we believe will begin to transform the health of the Bronx. We believe that by addressing the unmet SDOH – food insecurity, unsafe outdoor spaces, poor education, stress, and lack of health care coverage – we can support the healing needed to foster a healthier, happier and more productive population.

To get a better idea of this, listen to this recent television interview with Dr. David Perlstein, President and Chief Executive Officer of SBH Health System  https://sbhwellnesscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/SBHWellnessCenter.mp4

How You Can Help

In order to provide these services at no or affordable costs for our community, we need your help.  After all, for just a few dollars you can make a difference in providing gym and healthy cooking classes to those who can benefit from them the most.

• For just $80 you can provide a mother of four in the Bronx with a month’s worth of two-hour classes that will teach her how to prepare healthy eating recipes that will limit the chance her children will suffer from the heart disease that has plagued generations of family members. 

• For just $55 a parent/guardian and teen can join the gym for a month, offering a safe zone and a place for parent and teen to learn and grow together. 

• For just $35, you can provide a woman in the Bronx with diabetes a month’s worth of exercise classes that will allow her to continue to lose weight. 

• For just $25 you can provide a family with weekly gifts of fresh vegetables, fruits and honey for a month.

The project is transformational and intergenerational.  A special focus will be on educating children and teens on how to eat and cook healthy and, in general, live a longer and healthier life.

The campaign is ambitious, but so is the mission of the center. It’s our way of investing in the community we serve. To help make this dream a reality, we need your help.