On September 24, Hostos was home to the Health Department’s Center for Health Equity’s
“What Creates Health? A Community Conversation.”
The free health summit brought together activists, organizers, health leaders and local artists to address health disparities, foster reflection and dialogue about social and racial justice, and highlighted the critical role of art and activism in eliminating the stark and unjust differences in health and wellness that exist between New York City neighborhoods and New Yorkers of different racial and ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic status.
Hostos experts also participated, as Hostos professors Diana Macri and Julie Bencosme from the Dental Hygiene Unit, presented on oral health related issues related to minority communities and families. Fabian Wander, Director of the Health and Wellness Center at Hostos, also highlighted the College’s “Domestic Violence on Canvas” exhibit, a collaborative project created by Hostos professor and celebrated artist Ian Charles Scott and his students. The class created paintings with the theme of what they thought victims and survivors of intimate partner violence may have been experiencing.
Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett served as the keynote speaker, and the event was also attended by District 16 Council member Vanessa L. Gibson and other community leaders.
About the Health Department’s Center for Health Equity
Founded in 2014, the Health Department’s Center for Health Equity amplifies the agency’s work to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes in neighborhoods with disproportionately high rates of chronic disease and premature death. The division takes a number of approaches to invest in key neighborhoods, eliminate the social barriers to good health and advance health equity throughout New York City. The Neighborhood Health Action Centers, opening soon, will better link residents with local primary care and community services. The Action Centers will also provide space for community-based organizations and Health Department staff to work together to advance neighborhood health.
About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique Student Success Coaching Unit provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.
Hostos offers 29 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.