Policy & Advocacy
We work with local, state, and federal government partners to advocate for effective policy decisions that will impact our neighbors and hometowns.
Coalitions & Grass Roots Organizing
We bring together nonprofits, business leaders, and lawmakers to discuss solutions to our region’s challenges.
Direct Services
We operate a series of programs that connect Long Islanders with the services they need.
Welcome to the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island
At the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island (HWCLI), our work is to ensure that our region is a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone to live. We can set the standard for what an equitable region looks like. That means safe communities, decent, affordable housing, healthy food, access to care and an opportunity to thrive. In our quest for improvements and systemic change, we face a unique set of obstacles. In fact, the poverty rate today is at its highest since 1959. Given the current assault on the country’s most vulnerable communities, our work is more important than ever.
Our Impact
11350 |
People served in 2023 alone |
76 |
Years Serving Long Island |
200+ |
Partnering Organizations |
Recent News
May 7, 2024
April 30, 2024
Press Release: Long Island Round Table to Discuss Health Disparities Black Long Islanders Face
Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages Joins Advocates & Storytellers to Discuss Healthcare Disparities Long Islanders Experience
MINEOLA, LONG ISLAND — Yesterday, New York Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, Health & Welfare Council of Long Island President & CEO Vanessa Baird-Streeter, 1199 SEIU member Prince Pennington and Rebecca Charles, Harmony Healthcare Long Island Director of Operations, joined Protect Our Care New York to discuss a new report from Protect Our Care and the NAACP, detailing how the Inflation Reduction Act benefits Black Americans nationwide. Thanks to President Biden and Democrats in Congress, health care and prescription drugs are becoming more affordable for more people in the United States, and a record number of Black Americans have enrolled in low- or no-cost Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans. Black Americans disproportionately face higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, and barriers to accessing affordable care and medications. The Inflation Reduction Act is making health care costs more accessible by lowering premiums, negotiating costs on expensive drugs like Januvia and Jardiance, and capping the cost of insulin. Despite President Biden’s progress in lowering these costs, Congressional Republicans and their pharmaceutical allies are trying to reverse this progress by raising drug prices and making affordable care out of reach for millions, which would particularly harm Black Americans. Speakers highlighted how the IRA reduces disparities that Black Americans face in accessing care and must be protected as it leads to more positive health outcomes and creates a healthier future. “As a member of the Health Committee and Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus, I commend the recent actions taken on both federal and state levels to address disparities in our healthcare system, said Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages. “However, our work is far from over. The appalling statistics on health outcomes for Black Americans demand our unwavering commitment to action. Communities of color on Long Island and across the state require investment proportional to the seriousness of this issue. The Inflation Reduction Act and state initiatives in the recently passed budget mark a meaningful first step toward rectifying these unacceptable health disparities. Let us continue to prioritize equity and justice in healthcare, ensuring that every individual receives the care and support they deserve." “The Affordable Care Act and Inflation Reduction Act are helping to transform Black New Yorkers’ access to critical, quality care, helping to overcome health and economic disparities, and lowering costs,” said Vanessa Baird-Streeter, CEO of Health & Welfare Council of Long Island “ Now more than ever, it’s important to strengthen these protections in the face of calls to repeal or defund the Affordable Care Act. We’re committed to ensuring that all Long Islanders have access to affordable and quality care, receive the proper education needed to make their own health decisions, and have the ability to voice unjust practices in the healthcare system.” “Harmony Healthcare Long Island is proud to be a part of the conversation about how we can improve social determinants of health for Black Americans living on Long Island,” said Rebecca Charles, Director of Operations at Harmony Health Care Long Island. “Our practice believes in understanding and connecting with our specific patient population, and that means advocating for policies that improve care outcomes and reduce disparities. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, championed by President Biden and Democrats in Congress, healthcare and prescription drugs are becoming more affordable for more people in the United States. For Black Long Islanders who have historically been marginalized and faced roadblocks to receiving high quality, affordable healthcare, these lower costs are translating to better access to care.” “Healthcare is a human right, and Long Islanders’ access to affordable, quality and effective care should not be determined by your zip code or background. No one should have to wait months before being able to see a specialist or needing to choose between groceries or their co-pay,” said Prince Pennington, 1199SEIU Member and Radiology Technician. “The Inflation Reduction Act is a step in the right direction to help those who struggle with diabetes or cardiovascular disease receive the medication needed at an affordable rate.” “For many Black Americans, the disparities we face in our healthcare system go beyond visits to the primary care physician, highlighting the need for holistic care,” said Kiana Abbady, Long Island Progressive Coalition Board President. “From transportation to access to nutritious and quality food, our health is critically tied to the barriers we face each day. The Affordable Care Act and Inflation Reduction Act are helping to reduce the burden of high medical bills by providing access to life saving, high quality care.” You can watch the event here and read the NAACP and Protect Our Care Report detailing how the Inflation Reduction Act is lowering costs for Black Americans here. ### About Protect Our Care New York Protect Our Care New York is the state team for national advocacy nonprofit Protect Our Care, which is dedicated to making high-quality, affordable and equitable health care a right, and not a privilege, for everyone. Protect Our Care educates the public, influences policy, supports health care champions and holds politicians accountable. For more information, visit www.protectourcare.orgApril 12, 2024
U.S. Census: Long Island children under 5 undercounted at rate higher than nationwide
Updated April 12th, 2024
Read on Newsday
By Olivia Winslow
Children under the age of 5 on Long Island were undercounted in the 2020 Census at a rate even higher than New York state or national rates, according to experimental data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday, which noted that young children were undercounted in every state.
The issue of census undercounts of young children in particular, along with some minorities, is something the Census Bureau has acknowledged is a long term problem despite efforts to address it, experts said.
“It’s really sad that the census for a couple of decades now has consistently missed so many children under 5,” said Steven Romalewski, mapping service director at the CUNY Graduate Center for Urban Research. “There are a lot of reasons for that,” continued Romalewski, who was a consultant for Long Island groups doing census 2020 outreach efforts, “but overall it’s really terrible for the nation [that] we’re not accurately counting such an important part of the population.”
The agency said it was redoubling its efforts by putting together a working group to study the issue and come up with solutions as it prepares for the 2030 Census.
The decennial census drives an estimated $2.8 trillion a year in federal funding to states and localities for a variety of services and programs, and affects planning by businesses and municipalities.
The undercounting is significant because states use census counts to distribute money to a range of programs, including those aimed at improving the health and nutrition for children. The Census count also plays a role in planning for school enrollment and spending.
Children under 5 undercounted by 1 millionThe bureau said in a news release that the number of children ages 0 to 4 counted in the 2020 Census was about 1 million fewer than the estimate — 19,462,879 were estimated, but 18,400,235 were counted in the 2020 Census — for an undercount of 5.46%.
“The Census Bureau recognizes historical undercounts of young children in our decennial census as well an underrepresentation in our demographic surveys,” Census Director Robert Santos said in a statement. “We know these undercounts are often correlated with undercounts of certain race and ethnicity groups along with other factors that we were not able to measure directly.”
“This was a larger undercount than any other age group,” the bureau said.
The Census Bureau said the estimated counts were derived using an experimental “Demographic Analysis” that uses new data to focus on children, using administrative records, such as birth records, international migration and Medicare records, and adjusted for migration between counties. The Census numbers represent those actually counted through self-reporting or canvassing.
New York State was among 14 states and the District of Columbia that posted undercount rates of children under 5 that were higher than the national rate, the Bureau said. New York's undercount rate was 5.75%.
The rate for Nassau and Suffolk counties was even higher: 7.83% in Nassau and 9.15% in Suffolk. According to the Census Bureau's analysis. Nassau had an estimated 75,039 children ages 0 to 4, while the 2020 Census counted 69,160. Suffolk had an estimated 79,849 children ages 0-4, while the 2020 Census counted 72,546.
Two reasons given for low countWilliam O'Hare, a consultant to Count All Kids Coalition, an advocacy group,” said there were two main reasons for the undercount of children under 5.
“They have a lot of characteristics associated with people being missed: higher poverty, younger parents, renters.” Secondly, he said, according to a survey his group did in 2019, “When you ask parents if they plan to include young children in the census, 10% said they were not planning to include their young child on the census and 8% said they were not sure.”
He said further questioning revealed “most of them didn't think there was any need for the government to know about young children until they go to school. So that's why they have the highest undercount,” one that he said was “increasing in every census.”
Romalewski and others noted that the Census count was also affected by how the COVID-19 pandemic upended overall census efforts. The lockdown caused not only the Census Bureau to pause door-to-door census canvassing, but organizations involved in census outreach had to pivot from in-person events to other methods.
But if communities don't have accurate information on how many children will be coming into a school district, needed resources may not be available, Romalewski said.
“It’s not like those children aren’t there. They are there. When they show up at schools and there are not enough teachers to teach them … everyone gets hurt,” Romalewski said. “All of sudden classrooms are crowded. There's not enough funding to provide resources to the kids, so everyone gets hurt.”
Rebecca Sanin, now a Suffolk County legislator (D-Huntington Station), was chief executive of the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island when she coordinated the Island's 2020 census outreach efforts. She thought the “stresses” faced by new parents generally, compounded with economic stress “and the isolation of the pandemic” were contributing factors to the undercount.
Vanessa Baird-Streeter, who as a Suffolk deputy county executive was involved in 2020 census outreach efforts and now heads the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island, said during outreach events, “We were hearing, when talking with our community-based organizations and talking to people, we heard 'When I filled out the census I wasn't thinking about my child in my response.' I think that’s one piece.”
Baird-Streeter added: “We have complex living arrangements on Long Island, due to lack of affordable housing. We have multi-generations living together,” or households with unrelated people living together. So who gets included on the census sometimes depends on who is answering it, she said.
CORRECTION: The amount of federal funds distributed to states, communities, tribal lands and other recipients using census data in whole or in part is $2.8 trillion in fiscal year 2021, according to a U.S. Census Bureau study. The percentage of children undercounted in Brooklyn in the 2020 Census was 6.98%. A prior version of this story and an accompanying chart, listed incorrect numbers.
WHAT TO KNOW Children under the age of 5 on Long Island were undercounted in the 2020 Census at a rate even higher than New York State or national rates, according to the Census Bureau Young children were undercounted in every state in the nation in 2020, the Census said The undercounting affects how government money is allocated to programs impacting children.Events
29
May
2024
10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Farmingdale State College, Farmingdale, NY, 11735
HWCLI's Spring Quarterly Meeting: Enhancing Nonprofit Resilience
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