About the Wyandanch CAB
In 2021, the Long Island Chapter of the New York State Children’s Environmental Health Centers (NYSCHECK) created the Wyandanch Community Advisory Board (CAB) to identify and address the community health needs of regional children and youth. In 2023, the CAB chose food security as its priority issue. The CAB will outreach to the Wyandanch community to identify effective strategies for improving local food security.
In coming months, the CAB will provide guidance to:
- Strengthen community partnerships and foster community engagement.
- Promote community events across partner networks.
- Strengthen local community gardens and expand community involvement.
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Wyandanch Case Statement
The Case Statement examines a subset of local concerns in Wyandanch and offers a variety of creative strategies for improving children’s health. We will use our Case Statement to broaden our network of partner organizations, empower youth, strengthen educational opportunities, seek opportunities for institutional reform, and deepen dialogue with elected officials and their staff.
Wyandanch CAB Highlights
Celebration of the Launch of the Mondays Cancer Care Men's Program at the Sir Shave Barber Parlor on February 27th, 2023
Why Wyandanch?
Wyandanch is a hamlet in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, United States.
Here is a video which asks the question: Why are asthma rates in Wyandanch so much higher than in surrounding areas?
Initial community conversations in 2021 identified Wyandanch for its high rates of asthma and the need to monitor local air quality to better understand the causes of local respiratory illnesses.
Those conversations also demonstrated a strong community commitment to tackle local issues using a holistic “total wellness” health model. This offers an opportunity for a deeper rethinking of health in coming years that aligns community health, regional economics, and environmental quality.
“Build back better” is a science-based framework for community and environmental resilience. The impacts of COVID19 revealed many gaps and deficiencies in the national and regional public health system. Solutions should include small incremental reforms as well as more visionary efforts to rethink the future of community well being and quality of life. We hope that this CAB can contribute to both.
Environmental health concerns the physical, chemical, biological, and social factors external to each person that impacts their health. “It encompasses the assessment and control of those environmental factors that can potentially affect health. It is targeted towards preventing disease and creating health-supportive environments.” (World Health Organization Definition)
According to the National Institute on Environmental Health Sciences the environment is comprised of:
- The Natural Environment – includes clean (or polluted) air, water, food, soil. It includes biological and chemical materials.
- The Built Environment – includes buildings, roads, and parks where people live, travel and play. Wyandanch is now a regional leader in creating walkable downtown districts that can reduce pollution and increase opportunities for recreation and commerce.
- The Social Environment – encompasses lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise, social environmental systems and other societal influences that may affect health.
The graphic below offers examples of social and environmental factors that impact the quality of our health.
Source: National Academy of Sciences, 2017. “Conceptual Model” in Communities in Action.
For example, it is well understood that access to health insurance impacts the frequency and quality of health care available to individuals and families. Too often, a lack of access to health insurance forces families to defer health care appointments until minor problems become major health threats. This harms the health of family members and raises the costs of health care for the entire community.
Education is also a critical factor. Communities with higher rates of high school and college graduation typically have higher incomes and a greater capacity to make better health care choices.
A basic principle of public health is that each of us has a right to live a healthy life. Yet health disparities are an unfortunate reality on Long Island.
For example, we see clear and measurable differences in rates of infection with COVID-19 in lower income and minority communities compared with regional averages. Communities with higher levels of health burdens may also face reduced access to health care services. There may be fewer services (clinics or hospitals) or less access to health insurance.
Another concern is higher exposures to pollution. This often correlates with variations in race, ethnicity, and income.