OUR IMPACT

Since its inception in the early 1990's, NMPP has been working to improve the lives of families in the Northern Manhattan neighborhoods of Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood. NMPP collaborates with community organizations, local hospitals and schools to provide quality services to families and their children. NMPP works collectively to make an impact in these communities at large.   

  • We envision that every family and their children who knock on our door will thrive and get stronger.
  • As an organization, we are committed to provide a safe, secure and respectful learning environment for children, families and program staff.

 

Here are some highlights of our accomplishments:

  • Annually we serve approximately 1800 families, including 165 children in our Head Start Program.
  • We serve 86,935 meals, including breakfast, lunch and snacks. Some of our preschoolers would not otherwise have eaten breakfast.
  • Our children are examined by skilled professionals for any health problems. Head Start offers Nutrition, Vision, Hearing assessments, and Dental exams as well.
  • Services/Referrals are provided for children identified as needing follow-up care. Mental, behavioral health, and other services are available for children and families who wish to receive them.

 

children having a meal

Our success with children's health, for those who completed the program year, are as follows:

  • 98% had health insurance
  • 97% were up to date with all preventive health care
  • 97% received needed medical follow up
  • 99% were up to date with all immunizations
  • 96% received a dental exam
  • 100% were screened for vision and hearing
  • CACFP- No Findings
  • Child Health and Safety- No Findings
  • CLASS- (Teachers are assessed and scored two times per year on the Classroom Assessment Scoring System) All domains at or above the National Average

 

Our success with adults:

  • Annually we conduct over 1,500 home visits where our Community Health Workers work one-on-one with parents to increase their knowledge of children-healthy behaviors, give them tools to prevent child abuse, and connect these parents to resources.

  • Annually conduct approximately 200 Parenting Education and other support groups,  covering a variety of topics, including child developmental millstones, age appropriate activities, positive discipline, healthy relationships, child birth education, pre-natal yoga and safe sleep practices.

  • Every month, with the Harlem Community Health Network, we mobilize 30 community stake holders and clients to work together to address health disparities with the main focus on preventing infant mortality.

  • We host an annual Health Awareness Day that brings together community providers to share resources that exist in the community. 

Past accomplishments:

  • The infant mortality rate in Central Harlem has plummeted since the initiation of the NMPP’s Greater Harlem Healthy Start program in 1990 when it was 27.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. 
  • By 2003, the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) was 7.3 a drop of 273%, while the citywide rate had only declined by 48.2% to 6.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births over the same period [1] . The Harlem IMR rate dropped to 7.0 in 2004.
  • From 2001 to 2014, NMPP’s Greater Harlem Healthy Start organized a collective impact campaign to persuade the New York City Council and Mayor’s Office to allocate city and state tax levy funds to combat infant mortality in ten high-need neighborhoods throughout New York City. 
  • Over this time period, the movement secured over one hundred million dollars to curb the growth of infant mortality throughout NYC.  Over thirty community-based agencies and the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene are members of the Citywide Coalition to End Infant Mortality. 
  • As a result of our efforts citywide, NMPP/CHHS influenced the lives of over five thousand women a year across New York City. Funds were used to expand the number of evidenced-based home visiting programs, interconception care, Doula care, outreach, and health education services in East and Central Harlem and throughout NYC.  
  • NMPP’s efforts was instrumental  in creating the Birth Center of  Harlem  Hospital

 
As an organization, we take pride in changing lives and empowering our clients. Some of our clients are now staff members and served on our board,
 
Here is Karen Owes's testimonial:
 Karen Owes initially joined the family of NMPP as a consumer in the Harlem based Healthy Start program in the '90s.  She was referred from the NYC Department of Health Maternity Services Bureau where she had gone for a free pregnancy test. Ms.Owes received case management services while pregnant with her first child. After the delivery of her infant Owes received assistance and support in obtaining childcare, housing and employment with the City of New York as a Public Health Advisor with the Bureau of Maternity Services. Ms Owes remained active with NMPP serving as President of the local CIO (Consumer Involvement Organization) and as a member of the National Healthy Start Board from 2000 to 2005. In 2006 Ms Owes joined the NMPP family as the Healthy Start Health Educator. She continues to give back to the community by serving as a Lamaze trained childbirth educator, breastfeeding advocate and THRIVE fitness and nutrition coordinator. Ms Owes passionately believes that the health of the village is the wealth of our community. Ms Owes is the mother of four Healthy Start Children-Afrika, Kwanzaa, and twins Imani and Faith. Ms Owes is a proud Honor graduate of Hampton University, an HBCU located in Hampton, Virginia.”

NMPP honors the memory of Karen Owes who passed away in October 2019.