MEMBER OF NEW YORK CITY HEALTH AND HOSPITALS CORPORATION

HARLEM HOSPITAL CENTER

• LINCOLN MEDICAL AND

MENTAL HEALTH CENTER •

MORRISANIA DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT CENTER

• RENAISSANCE

HEALTH CARE NETWORK •

SEGUNDO RUIZ BELVIS DIAGNOSTIC &

TREATMENT CENTER

Letter of Intent for the Second Round: Request for Applications (RFA)

December 18th, 2013

The Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons: Institute of Human Nutrition, in collaboration with Harlem Hospital Center’s WIC Program presents this letter of intent to the Baylor College of Medicine’s USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center.

RATIONALE:

Harlem Hospital Center is an iconic healthcare facility within the heart of New York City that has provided healthcare services to the residents of Harlem for 126 years. Harlem Hospital Center provides health area services to its primary and secondary service areas which totals to over 1.1 million residents, of which an African American and Hispanic American majority persists. As a result of the well below national averages in regards to income level and the high percentage of residents who lack health care coverage, Harlem Hospital Center shoulders a strong utilization burden in providing health care services to the medically underserved, low income, minority populations of New York City. This establishes Harlem Hospital Center as having the highest safety net percentages in comparison to the 11 acute care facilities and non-profit hospitals of NYC’s Health and Hospitals Corporation.

In the same regard, The WIC division of the Harlem Hospital Center has been an integral component in facilitating the core services of the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants and Children, administered by the U.S Department of Agriculture since its inception in 1972. Harlem Hospital Center’s WIC clinic opening just a year later, demonstrates a longevity and commitment in serving WIC families and supporting improved health outcomes for WIC participants.

Approximately 46.8% and 53.2% of hospital visits for Harlem Hospital Center are male and female, respectively. The average household incomes for our primary and secondary service areas are $44,321 and $50,203, respectively. These income figures are well below the national average of $67,315, and the New York City Community Profiles indicates that between 40.3% and 60.4% of the residents in the communities served by Harlem Hospital Center receive some type of income support including cash assistance, temporary assistance to needy families (TANF, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid. Harlem Hospital Center is the only hospital in operation to serve the health needs of the diverse Harlem communities.

The above statements provide for your attention a general description of the scope, influence and necessity of Harlem Hospital Center and its WIC Clinic. A special opportunity exists for The Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition and the Harlem Hospital WIC Clinic to strategically devise and implement a program intervention that is innovative, sustainable, participant-centered, and meets the recommendations of the 2011 USDA-WIC Planning Agenda Workshop Summary.

PROPOSED RESEARCH:

The Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition and the Harlem Hospital WIC Clinic seek to put into motion the iNEW-Program (interactive Nutrition Education, Works). In short, this program serves as an interactive learning module that: 1. will promote program participation retention by providing participants with the ability to interactively engage in their health education, 2. maximize our reach of WIC-eligible Harlem residents by utilizing an incentivizing scheme, and 3. provide a sustainable, cost-effective way in facilitating nutrition education where we can monitor behavior change, and provide a highly efficient model to quantify the recommended WIC indicators.

SPECIFIC AIMS:

During project implementation, WIC participants, when asked, will be able to explain how to initiate smart shopping, healthy eating and breastfeeding, as well as identity foods and snacks of nutritious and beneficial value. In addition, WIC participants will know how to access resources for physical fitness and other referral services specific to their needs.

One year after implementation of the instructional components of the iNEW program, 50 percent of WIC participants who attended will 85 percent of the time report: 1. incorporating fruits and vegetables into their diets, 2. engaging in the online component of program implementation, and 3. an increase in positive health behavior habits such as portion-control, being active and other healthy eating measures.

At the completion of the 2 year project implementation we expect that, 1. the engagement and retention rates of WIC eligible participants in our primary and secondary service areas to increase by 97 percent over the baseline participation number, 2. there will be a positive increase in the health status, health knowledge and health behaviors of 75 percent of WIC participants over the baseline participation number, 3. the initiation and retention rates of breastfeeding WIC mothers will increase by 50 percent above the national and state baseline average rates, 4. the incidence of voucher pick-up and redemption of WIC participants will increase by 50 percent above the national and state baseline average rates, and 5. 50 percent of WIC participants will a report a decrease in BMI and other WIC indicators as well as report balanced and on-target anthropometric and hematologic values.

PRINCIPIAL INVESTIGATORS:

Dr. Sharon R. Akabas - sa109@columbia.edu, Director, MS in Nutrition, Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University, 630 W 168th Street, PH 1512 East, New York, NY 10032. Tel: (914) 629-1631.

Dr. Brenda Merritt- Brenda.merritt@nyhhc.org. Physician Advisor, Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons: Institute of Human Nutrition. 630 W 168th Street, Presbyterian Hospital, Suite 1512, New York, NY 10032. Tel: (212) 305-4808.

Ms. Harriott Myers- Harriett.myers@nychhc.org. Associate Director, ACS/WIC: Harlem Hospital Center. 506 Lenox Avenue, New York, NY 10037. Tel: (212) 939-2799.

Mr. Noah-Lee Andre- Noah-Lee.Andre@nychhc.org. Public Health Analyst & Community Health Educator, Ronald H Brown Building WIC Clinic. Harlem Hospital Center. 506 Lenox Avenue, New York, NY 10037. Tel: (212) 939-1000.

KEY PERSONNEL:

Ms. Denise Soares, Senior Vice President, Generations Plus, Northern Manhattan Health Network.

Ms. Denise Lear-Evans, Associate Executive Director, Ambulatory Care Service, Harlem Hospital Center.

Mr. Glenn Hazell, Senior Management Consultant, Grants Management, Harlem Hospital Center.

Ms. Mercy Adebanjo, Nutrition Volunteer, Harlem Hospital WIC Clinic.

Harlem Hospital WIC Clinic Staff

COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS:

The following public health services and community-centered nutrition advocacy members/groups extend their support and partnership in our program effort:

1. Cornell Cooperative Extension. 2. The Northern Manhattan Perinatal Partnership. 3. Lutheran Social Services of New York 4. Heritage Health & Housing, Inc.

Further supporting entities:

1. Mr. Keith L.T. Wright, New York State Assemblyman, 70th District. 2. Mr. Charles B. Rangel, Dean of the New York Congressional Delegation & 13th District Rep.

We look forward to your advisement and response,

The Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons: Institute of Human Nutrition Harlem Hospital Center’s WIC Clinic

Letter sent by: Mr. Noah-Lee Andre