Who we are.
About TBHL
Founded in 1998, The Bronx Health Link, Inc. amplifies the voices of Bronx residents and community-based organizations and equips them with the tools to achieve health equality by connecting them, providers, researchers, and policymakers. By achieving these aims, the Bronx Health Link will be the premier public health organization in our borough. Advocacy is a critical aspect of the work of The Bronx Health Link as we research and report on the health problems of Bronx residents and collaborate with other like-minded, community agencies toward the goal of good health care for all.
HISTORY
The Bronx Health Link was founded in 1998 through a collaborative effort involving the Bronx Borough President's Office, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Our Lady of Mercy Center, and St. Barnabas Hospital. These member hospitals are the largest not-for-profit institutions in the Bronx, with combined budgets that exceed $1.2 billion. The scope of their services gives TBHL the extraordinary potential of contact with more than one million Bronx residents every year. Member hospitals sponsor hundreds of outreach events in Bronx neighborhoods. TBHL takes advantage of these opportunities to promote its research, education, and advocacy programs.
TBHL's first project quickly became its signature project – an annual community needs assessment of residents' health situations as determined by a survey and a series of focus groups and community forums. These research methods have been used continuously and successfully to this day.
TBHL's assessment process differs from traditional methods because it functions within a true community framework. There are focus groups, forums, and town hall meetings, some in hospital settings. Hospital volunteers, community members, and political leaders are involved in the planning and execution processes. The assessment findings and results lead to the revision and improvement of existing health programs.
During 23 years of continuous service in the Bronx, TBHL has engaged thousands of residents, healthcare providers, schools, researchers, community-based organizations, government agencies, and policymakers in pursuing and promoting better health outcomes for residents of the Bronx.
Since 2001, TBHL has received a steady stream of grants from the City Council’s Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative and the New York State’s Comprehensive Perinatal and Prenatal Services Network. TBHL used these grants to coordinate health and human service providers who engage in activities that promote maternal and infant health. Additionally, TBHL provides educational workshops on healthy pregnancy, postpartum depression, safe sleep, and breastfeeding classes.
Starting in 2003, and in collaboration with the Bronx Borough President's Office, TBHL has organized an annual signature event, The Community Health Education Day. This well-attended, day-long health fair is filled with scores of providers offering health information, promotional materials, and access to services to Bronx residents.
Among our activities:
We educate borough residents and health care providers about health issues and healthcare options through workshops, conferences, resource centers, surveys, reports, and our daily e-newsletter and website.
Since 2001, we have been funded through the City Council's Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative and the New York State's Comprehensive Perinatal and Prenatal Services Network to coordinate networks of health and human service providers in the Bronx.
We conceptualized and coordinated the Bronx Community Research Review Board to bridge the gap between researchers and consumers, build trust, and improve research processes and outcomes.
We do community-based research to develop policy recommendations and work with other organizations to advocate for health equity and social justice through testimony, letters, legislative visits, and action alerts.
In order to give voice to the community's needs and concerns, we participate in numerous workgroups, advisory boards, and task forces.
Meet the Team
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Shirley P. Leyro, Ph.D.
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Anastasia Libovich, CM, LM, MS
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Eleaquina Fabian, BA
COMMUNITY OUTREACH SPECIALIST
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Denise Valera, BA
MARKETING DESIGNER
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Evelyn Caceres
OFFICE ASSISTANT
CORPORATE BOARD MEMBERS
Bronx Borough President
Mahnoor Jaura, Deputy Director of Health
BronxCare Health System
Robert Sancho, Sr., VP Community and Government Relations, Bronx Care Health Systems
rbsancho@aol.com (718) 960-4490 or (914) 643-9592
Montefiore Health Systems
Melissa Cebollero, Senior Director Government / Community Affairs, Montefiore Health Systems
mcebolle@montefiore.org Office (718) 324- 4461 Fax (718) 324-2917 or Cell (929) 243-0793
Operational Board Members
Heather Archer-Dyer, MPA, (CHAIR), CHES Director, Community Based Service-Learning Program Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine
heather.archer-dyer@einsteinmed.edu (718) 430-2900 or Cell (845) 275-2100
Lois J. Bookhardt-Murry, MD, Chief Medical Operating Officer, Morris Heights Health Center
lbookhardt@mhhc.org (718) 924-2691 X 2664
Luis Marrero, MBA, Director of External Affairs at Urban Health Plan, Inc.
luis.marrero@urbanhealthplan.org
Jillian Cherry, MBA, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, Perinatal Safety Officer at St. Barnabas Hospital
Jessica Fernandez, BA, Senior Practice Administrator at BronxCare Health Systems
jefernan@bronxleb.org (718) 239-8384