Celebrating Choose Healthy Life’s Two-Year Anniversary of Administering COVID-19
Vaccinations/Testing through its Black Churches and the Launch of its Community Wellness Program featuring Wellness Wednesdays and the Blueprint for Wellness.
Date: Monday, November 7, 2022
Time: 8:30am to 10am
*Coffee and conversation 8:30-9am with the forum beginning at 9am and ending at 10am.
Location: Gracie Mansion – East End Ave. at 88th St in Manhattan
What: A Choose Healthy Life and NYC Mayor’s Office special event featuring a Clergy Breakfast
and Mayoral Roundtable forum at which Mayor Adams will declare New York as a “Choose
Healthy Life” city, recognize Choose Healthy Life for its accomplishments on its two-year
anniversary to address COVID-19 and health disparities through the Black church, and salute
this public-private partnership which has become a national model.
Speakers will also announce the launch of the Choose Healthy Life Community Wellness
Program featuring Wellness Wednesdays and the Blueprint for Wellness. The Blueprint is a
risk-based health screening test developed by Quest Diagnostics and is offered by the churches
at no charge. The program debuted in NYC this past weekend with successful events at Union
Grove Baptist Church and Antioch Baptist Church. Wellness Wednesdays provides the
infrastructure, in a culturally appropriate setting, to empower individuals to make healthy
choices and be connected to resources in the community and beyond.
Who: The forum will include remarks from Mayor Adams, CHL Co-Chair Rev. Al Sharpton, CHL
Founder Debra Fraser-Howze, New York Clergy Leader Rev. Jacques DeGraff, Quest Diagnostics
Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mike Prevoznik, United Way of NYC CEO Grace
Bonilla and select clergy leaders.
“Having connected with over 120 churches nationwide to host over 2500 events, administering
close to 100,000 COVID-19 tests and vaccinations through our work with Choose Healthy Life,
United Way of New York City understands the deep value of the partnership between the
Church, their neighborhoods, companies like Quest who are motivated to support their
communities, and government agencies that know that healthy communities thrive,” said
Grace Bonilla, President and CEO of United Way of New York City (UWNYC). “That’s why we’re
honored to be joining Mayor Adams today to celebrate Choose Healthy Life and our work
together in keeping New York’s communities of color healthy and thriving. UWNYC’s health
equity work addresses social determinants that contribute significantly to poor health
outcomes; Choose Healthy Life is at the center of our efforts.”
“Choose Healthy Life recognized the power of the Black church as trusted messengers in our
local communities”, said Rev. Al Sharpton, Co-Chair of Choose Healthy Life’s National Black
Clergy Health Leadership Council. “As pastors, when we stand up and get vaccinated – others
take note and do the same. I want to thank the Mayor for recognizing our important role in
addressing the healthcare needs for those in need by declaring New York as a Choose Healthy
Life city.”
“Though Choose Healthy Life was founded during the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
mission for our organization has always been to establish a sustainable healthcare model
centered around our Black churches to address health equity”, said Debra Fraser-Howze,
Choose Healthy Life. “We demonstrated we could be highly successful in combating the
COVID-19 pandemic and today marks the national launch of our Community Wellness program
here in New York City. We are proud to be partnering with United Way of New York City and
Quest Diagnostics on this initiative.”
“Critical to the success of Choose Healthy Life has been the central role of the Black church and
our health navigators”, said Rev. Jacques DeGraff, Choose Healthy Life New York Clergy
Leader. “We have funded, trained and supported full-time health navigators that our churches
have identified within their respective communities. Through our Community Wellness
Program and our Wellness Wednesdays, they are successfully engaging those that are hard to
reach, empowering them to choose a healthy life.”
“As the founding sponsor of Choose Healthy Life, we are proud to build on this commitment by
offering Blueprint for Wellness, a comprehensive health screening that provides powerful
information to highlight personal health strengths and risks that will help support underserved
members of the Black community in taking control of their health,” said Mike Prevoznik, Senior
Vice President and General Counsel and Co-Executive Sponsor of Quest for Health Equity at
Quest Diagnostics.
“The Community Wellness Program and the Blueprint for Wellness are vital to Choose Healthy
Life’s commitment to eliminate health disparities in the Black community,” said David Etzwiler,
CEO of Siemens Foundation, a corporate partner of Choose Healthy Life. “As partners of
Choose Healthy Life, we’re honored to join leaders and residents of New York City for the
launch of this great program.”
About Choose Healthy Life:
Choose Healthy Life (CHL) is a non-profit faith-based organization that ensures Black churches –
the oldest and most trusted institutions in the Black community – receive the necessary
resources, training, and support to address COVID-19 and other health disparities by delivering
preventive wellness programs. CHL initially established a network of fifty (50) Black churches in
five major cities –and grew to 120 churches across 13 states. In its first year, CHL hosted over
2,500 events, administered nearly 100,000 COVID-19 tests and vaccinations through its
churches. The success of the program has been centered around the leadership of the Black
clergy and the establishment of a faith-based community health workforce in the church.
In November 2020, under the leadership of CHL founder Debra Fraser-Howze with support
from founding partner Quest Diagnostics and implementation partner United Way of New
York City, the National Black Clergy Health Leadership Council was established to guide the
organization. Rev. Al Sharpton (National Action Network) and Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, of
blessed memory, (Abyssinian Baptist Church) co-chair the Council which includes Clergy Leader
Rev. Jacques DeGraff who oversees CHL’s work in New York.
Today, Choose Healthy Life provides resources to 20 churches spread across the five boroughs
of New York City to support and train faith-based health navigators who are continuing to offer
access to COVID-19 testing and vaccination while expanding their efforts to promote wellness
through outreach, education and collaboration with local community health providers. The
cornerstone of CHL’s Community Wellness program is the Blueprint for Wellness – a free and
comprehensive health screening that has been developed in partnership with Quest
Diagnostics.
New York City is at the forefront of this innovative faith-based health workforce initiative as
the first in the nation to secure both state and private funding to support this public-private
partnership.
Note to media: Interviews with quoted participants are available by contacting Judy Klym at
jklym@thewakemanagency.com.