Research, Policy, and Advocacy

An important part of the work of The Bronx Health Link (TBHL) is studying the health problems of our borough's residents and, in conjunction with other community-based organizations, developing policy solutions and advocacy efforts to solve those problems. There are three parts to this aspect of our program:

• Research. TBHL conducts focus groups, surveys, and reviews of professional literature on a range of health problems facing the Bronx, and policy issues that affect our residents. We aim to put a focus on issues for underserved communities. We have published several detailed reports on various aspects of maternal and infant health in the Bronx, both the data about the extent of the problem and the factors that drive it.

For summaries of recent TBHL research, click here.

For information on current focus groups for which TBHL is currently recruiting members, click here.

• Policy. TBHL works with others to develop policies that improve overall health conditions, health services, and health promotion. Our focus includes policies of medical institutions; city, state, and federal government agencies; and legislative bodies, such as the City Council, N.Y. State Legislature, U.S. Congress, and advisory groups such at the Governor's Council on Minority Health.

For reports containing TBHL policy recommendations, click here.

• Advocacy. Our goal is to amplify the voices of communities to challenge the gaps and injustices in the current health care and environmental policies that undermine the health of Bronx residents. We work particularly on issues affecting underserved residents, such as those in particular neighborhoods, the poor, communities of color, and immigrants. We work in coalition with other community-based organizations in the Bronx and citywide to achieve the goals of health equity and environmental justice.

For TBHL testimony that advocates various positions and policy changes on health issues, click here.

For a fact sheet titled "Protecting Mothers' and Babies' Health: The City Council's Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative," click here.

For more information on TBHL's research, policy, and advocacy work, contact Robert Lederer at bob@bronxhealthlink.org.