The
Bronx Healthy Beverage Zone

UCHC is a proud lead organization and partner of the Bronx Healthy Beverage Zone (HBZ). The Bronx HBZ project concentrates on furthering positive health outcomes throughout the Bronx and decreasing the number of chronic diseases that Bronxites develop as a result of consuming sugary beverages. The ultimate goal in launching this borough-wide strategy is to build a movement to promote healthy beverage options for all who work, live, and visit the Bronx!

  • UCHC employees are leading The HBZ initiative as a way to create a role modeling environment that patients and other members of the community can easily replicate in their own homes, businesses or settings.
  • Modeling a small change by eliminating Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) across all sites is a small change that had made a big impact at all six UCHC sites, as well as in our surrounding community.
  • The Bronx is the unhealthiest county in New York State. Statewide data gathered by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that while there have been improvements in health outcomes in the Bronx, our ranking remains 62nd out of 62 counties for eight consecutive years.
  • SSBs have a direct link to fatty liver disease, obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The goal of the Bronx HBZ is to improve health outcomes across Bronx so that we are no longer the least-healthy county in New York State.

LOCAL RECOGNITION

Watch our One Year Anniversary Video

Local Bronx celebrity, Rhina Valentin, teamed up with UCHC to produce “The Woke Show” a hilarious, yet educational PSA, which highlights some of the common and sometimes dangerous misconceptions we all have when it comes to sugar-sweetened beverages. 

NATIONAL RECOGNITION:

  • The Aetna Foundation selected the HBZ Project as one of 50 members of the HealthyCommunity50 in the Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge, a contest established to help improve and recognize communities focused on at least one of five domains: healthy behaviors, community safety, built environment, social/economic factors and environmental exposures. 
  • The Aetna Foundation provided a $10,000 community seed award to get the HBZ started and The Bronx is now in the running to receive a prize of up to $500,000 that will support this innovative program with the winner being announced in January 2019!

CALL TO ACTION:

  • Watch the “Little BIG Borough that Could” and join us in making the Bronx a healthier place for all:  

For more information visit The Bronx HBZ