OUR PROGRAM PARTNER NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness, Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention, Active Design and Worksite Wellness Unit, Active Design in Schools program.
The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) protects and promotes the health of over eight million New Yorkers through a broad range of policies and initiatives, and free or low-cost services delivered at schools, at home, in the workplace and at City-run clinics. DOHMH also conducts research that shapes policy decisions and NYC’s health agenda. The Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention spearheads programs and initiatives to reduce the burden of chronic diseases and to address the systems of inequity that lead to unequal burden of disease throughout NYC. The Bureau promotes healthful environment and systems changes and develops programs and policies that promote physical activity and healthy eating. DOHMH’s Active Design in Schools program partners with local arts organizations to support NYC Department of Education schools through the creation of interactive indoor and outdoor murals to increase equitable access to physical activity opportunities in schools. The Active Design in Schools program promotes health and wellness in schools through a series of architectural and design strategies that encourage stair climbing, walking, bicycling, active learning, active recreation, and mindful movement. Since 2015, the Active Design in Schools program has funded enhancements in over 90 K-12 public schools, reaching over 40,000 students. Over the past three years, Creative Art Works has partnered with the Active Design in Schools program on nine youth-inspired interactive murals in schools in Central Brooklyn and East Harlem. The program serves schools in communities with historical disinvestment that may have less access to high quality physical activity environments and with high rates of people earning lower incomes and people of color. The projects include painted ground markings and interactive wall murals that serve as the foundation for game playing. Asphalt Green, a nonprofit that provides innovative recreational instruction and programs to NYC children and adults is also partnering with the program to develop customized games that can be played with each interactive art installation. CAW and the DOHMH have completed or planned Active Design projects at the following schools: PS 297, PS 123, PS 137, PS 505, PS 86, PS 7M, PS 72, PS 133 and FDR High School. 28
