Caribbean Women’s Health Association, Inc. (CWHA) was founded in 1982 by Yvonne J. Graham and a group for Caribbean Women in the Health profession who shared a commitment to improve access to health related services for low income and indigent populations, and to assist immigrants in adjusting to their new host environment. Simultaneously a conference on “Health and Caribbean Immigrants in New York City” was convened as part of Marco A. Mason doctoral dissertation project on “The Development of a Framework consensus plenary mandate to create and institutionalize a formal structure to advocate on behalf of, and respond to the health care needs of the Caribbean-American Community. CWHA adopted this mandate as it formalized its corporate identity.
CWHA has a long history as an advocacy group and
service provider in the community, designing the services to
meet the community’s priority health and social support
needs. CWHA strongly relies on community involvement in planning,
implementation and evaluation of its programs. This is done through:
community advisory committees for each program area, focus groups
to gauge feelings about emerging issues in the programming process,
and “open houses” at the CWHA service center to encourage
community members to walk in freely and talk about pressing issues.
There is continuous interaction with the community to review
the appropriateness of the educational and promotional materials
produced by CWHA.
CWHA’s active presence within the community
for over twenty years has forged strong linkages with (a) community
resource organizations such as civic and religious organizations,
schools, local community boards and the police; (b) print
and broadcast media including Caribbean media; (c) health
and social support service providers which enhance CWHA's
case management activities through mutual referral and for which
CWHA provides cultural sensitivity training for; (d) academic
and research institutions to facilitate the collection and
documentation of data on the community, and conduct/sponsor joint
ventures such as needs assessments and conferences/seminars.
CWHA's history of utilizing staff that reflects
the culture of the population served and the involvement of community
members in the plan of care and service intervention process
is the key to ensuring compliance, retention of clients, and
increased utilization of services.
CWHA is dedicated to transforming lives, strengthening
families, building bridges across culturally diverse communities,
and opening doors to citizenship. CWHA operates five (5) Community
Service Centers located throughout Brooklyn and Queens.
CWHA‘s goal is to build healthy and caring
communities and culturally competent human care delivery systems
through community based planning. To achieve this, CWHA works
to improve the capacity, organizational development, governance,
management, ethical behavior, accountability, efficiency and
effectiveness of grass-roots and faith-based organizations.
CWHA’s divergent strategies and extensive
experience in advocacy and program management have led to solutions
that work. CWHA experienced staff are grounded in cost-effective
principles and inspired by innovative and sustainable results.
CWHA has maintained a solid record of accomplishments in conducting
innovative studies and scholarly research into issues that impinge
on the quality of life in immigrant communities and to translate
these study findings into programs, practices and policy guidelines
designed to be responsive to community needs.
On the international front, CWHA is accredited
by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Accordingly,
CWHA has sent its delegations to join forces with leading activists,
academicians, scientists, clinicians, policy makers and public
health agencies in the circum-Caribbean region, Latin-America,
Cairo, Amsterdam, London, Beijing, Durban Katmandu, Delhi and
in other places around the world.
CWHA has become one of New York’s leading
non-profit health, immigration and social services organizations,
as well as an institution recognized nationally and internationally
for service delivery to culturally diverse populations. CWHA’s
programs serve as a catalyst for social change and remain on
the front line in the struggle for universal health care, immigrant
rights and social justice.
CWHA’s excellence in service delivery is
widely acclaimed and recognized for the quality, breadth and
impact of its work. CWHA received the prestigious New York State
Department of Health’s "Health Education Award",
as well as New York City Department of Health First Award for "Excellence
in Public Health".
VISION:
CWHA is dedicated to being the best focal point
of providing access to a coordinated range of health, immigration
and social services to strengthen families and empower communities.
Accordingly,
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Through our shared
commitment to those we serve, we will be the best health,
immigration and social support agency in the nation. |
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Clients will choose
us first because we deliver the highest quality of services
and performance. |
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People will be proud
and eager to work with us. |
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Funders will support
our programs as a superior long-term investment. |
MISSION:
To provide high quality, comprehensive, culturally
appropriate health, immigration and social support services to
its diverse constituency.
SLOGANS:
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Caring, Welcoming,
Helping, Advocating |
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Transforming Lives,
Strengthening Families and Empowering Communities |
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Opening Doors to
Citizenship |
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Building Bridges
Across Culturally Diverse Communities |
CORE COMPETENCIES:
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Building partnerships. |
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Conducting research
studies, seminars and conferences and publishing scholarly
and policy papers. |
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Developing innovative
solutions to urban health issues. |
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Providing technical
assistance to and working collaboratively with local, national
and international agencies on key health, immigration and
social support issues. |
TARGET POPULATIONS:
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PRIMARY Immigrants, the indigent,
the uninsured and the underserved. |
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SECONDARY All other persons in need
of CWHA’s services. |
FUNDING:
CWHA is supported by fund development activities,
and grants from the public, private and philanthropic sectors.
PROGRAMS & SERVICES:
CWHA has served as an urban problem solver, creating innovative solutions to community issues with a focus on breaking the cycle of poverty through building diverse partnership and grassroots leadership initiatives. CWHA has concentrated its efforts on a variety of issues: immigration, youth development, public health, welfare reform, economic and community empowerment and logistical support.
CWHA provides a roster of health,
immigration and social support programs that aim to improve
the well being of individuals, to strengthen families and empower
communities. These programs are uniquely designed to provide
comprehensive, integrated, culturally appropriate and coordinated “one-stop” services.
CWHA displays a remarkable ability to adapt and
expand its service capacity to meet the growing and changing
needs of the communities it serves. CWHA’s multilingual,
professional staff connects clients with a roster of culturally
appropriate, comprehensive and integrated legal, health, housing,
educational, employment, social support and health services.
Clients from over a hundred countries are served annually. CWHA
also conducts research, conferences and health fairs, publishes
reports and newsletters, operates a speaker’s bureau and
provides technical assistance on health and immigration issues
facing ethnic communities. CWHA provides outreach, education,
counseling, case management and crisis intervention services
that offers psycho-social, socio-cultural and socio-economic
support to clients. It conducts advocacy activities designed
to creating awareness about the impact of public health issues
on the Caribbean-American community and galvanizing and mobilizing
community resources to help mitigate any negative consequences
of these issues.
CWHA helps pregnant women prepare for child-bearing
and child-rearing, adolescents are taught skills that will strengthen
their self esteem; HIV infected/affected individuals and families
receive the support they so desperately need; those without food
and shelter are assisted in securing basic entitlements; immigrants
are aided in adjusting into the mainstream of American life;
and healthy lifestyles are promoted for all. See us "In
Action."
CWHA has built a strong reputation in service delivery.
As a result, community leaders rely on its leadership in addressing
crucial health, immigration and social issues. The organization
demonstrates a thorough understanding of the socio-medical and
cultural dynamics of the immigrant/ethnic populations it serves.