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| Press Release |
New York City Department of Health
Office of External Affairs |
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, March 1, 1999
Contact: Sandra Mullin/John Gadd
(212) 788-5290 |
HEALTH DEPARTMENT HOSTS PUBLIC HEALTH FORUM
NYC's Second Turning Point Forum, Held in Manhattan --
Collaborating for a New Century in Public Health
Health Commissioner Neal L. Cohen, M.D., and other New York City Department of Health officials today met with Manhattan community health providers, organizations and residents to discuss public health concerns. This was the second in a series of forums being held in each borough as part of Turning Point, an innovative initiative in which partnerships with
communities are formed to help identify public health priorities.
Dr. Cohen said, "This Turning Point forum continues an ongoing, proactive Citywide planning process which asks communities to get more involved in identifying their public health needs and priorities. The responsibility for a healthier New York City is one that must be shared if we are to be successful in the next century. Preventing diseases and promoting healthy lifestyles locally and Citywide requires these kinds of community-based alliances.
"We held our first Turning Point forum in Queens last November, and the enthusiastic response and active participation by community leaders and other Queens residents helped to make the event productive and successful. We are continuing to build on the foundation we set in Queens, and tonight and in the weeks and months to come, Manhattan residents will have a similar
opportunity to join in an important dialogue with regard to public health issues in their borough."
Turning Point, created by the Robert Wood Johnson and W. K. Kellogg Foundations, is a nation-wide effort to enable communities to prioritize public health problems, plan responses and share resources. Tonight's forum, held at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, was the second in a series of discussions to take place in each borough. The forum was organized by businesses, community organizations, educators, and the New York City Department of Health.
Those attending the forum were provided with data that shows specific information about Manhattan. Statistics on such health indicators as infant mortality, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, drug abuse, and asthma were presented.
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