Newsroom
Montefiore in the News
Covid 19- Annual Food, Farm Tour Going Virtual
- August 13, 2020
By Melissa Cebollero, Senior Director, Montefiore Health System Office of Government & Community Relations
No one can deny the massive impact that COVID-19 has presented for us as a nation, state, and city. Here in the Bronx, the pandemic strained the already challenging economic and social conditions that directly influence health factors and outcomes for the 1.4 million people who call this borough their home.
The social determinants that affect the health of Bronx residents include unemployment rates, availability of safe and affordable housing, and access to fresh and healthy food options. The ongoing issue of food insecurity in the Bronx has only been aggravated by the pandemic.
Montefiore serves as a founding member of the “#Not62 Campaign for a Healthy Bronx,” along with the Office of the Bronx Borough President, the Family Institute of Health, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. This campaign began in 2015 to address the Bronx’s health ranking as 62nd out of the 62 counties in New York state. The group aims to improve strategic health outcomes for the Bronx by uniting stakeholders from across multiple governmental, health, and community organizations to ensure that the Bronx does not get left behind.
Following in the aims of the #Not62 campaign, Montefiore is once again supporting the Bronx Food & Farm Tour series for the seventh year. This seasonal tour of the many Bronx-based community gardens and farms promotes healthy eating, educates residents about where our food actually comes from and supports the operations of local gardens and farms so they may continue to provide access to fresh fruit and vegetables for their local communities.
Understanding how critical maintaining safe community engagement and messaging on health issues is at this time, we came together with our partners to transition the tour series onto a virtual platform. Each tour will now be filmed by the New York Botanical Garden and will feature 3 community farms as well as a healthy food demonstration provided by Bronx-based BBlossom Catering from now throughout October.
For more information about upcoming tours, please contact the Montefiore Health System Office of Government & Community Relations at (718) 324-4468.
