Oishei Foundation Funds "Next Steps" to Improve Health for Near East Side

Black Leadership Forum, BFNC and Kaleida Health Collaborative On Answers

At the Black Leadership Forum meeting on January 25, it was announced that The John R. Oishei Foundation has granted $130, 636 to the Near East Side (NES) Task Force to improve the health of residents living on Buffalo’s East Side. The grant comes as a result of a seminal piece of community research – The Health Status of the Near East Side Black Community – identifying the particular needs of the African-American population using a highly collaborative approach.

The Oishei funding supports the staffing and work related to a strategic action plan that will address health issues prevalent throughout the neighborhood – lead poisoning from older housing, lack of exercise/obesity, AIDS, poor diet given lack of fresh food in local stores and limited access to primary medical care. The grant will be administered by the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers, Inc. Kaleida Health, funder of the original Health Status research, is a collaborator in the effort and a major supplier of medical care for the Near East Side. In its approval letter, the Oishei Foundation stated that it was "impressed with the level of collaboration that the NES Task Force has achieved through the efforts of the Black Leadership Forum."

The Black Leadership Forum created the NES Task Force as a "next step" in its efforts to find ways to improve the health of African-Americans. Chaired by Forum member and Buffalo City Court Judge, James A. W. McLeod, the Task Force has broad community representation and expertise. The release of the Health Status of the Near East Side Black Community gave impetus for critical next action steps to occur.

"The Black Leadership Forum was created to tackle major issues that affect our community and health care is a cornerstone issue," stated Reverend Herbert Reid, Chair, Black Leadership Forum.

According to James A. W. McCloud, "The Black Leadership Forum is very grateful to the Oishei Foundation for helping us be a change-agent for the Near East Side. We understand the problems and now, the Oishei grant will allow us to actively tackle the real issues."

"As always, Kaleida Health is pleased to be at the table as a collaborator. Improving the overall health of a population is not an easy task but it is a doable one if we work together," stated William D. McGuire, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kaleida Health.