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San Francisco’s Healthy Heart Campaign Promotes Fitness for African Americans and Latinos

Published

10 years ago

October 27, 2015

African Americans in the city of San Francisco are almost at twice the number of stroke-related deaths, compared to other races and ethnicities.

Charles Burns, 56, almost found out about this the hard way when a stroke altered his life.

“Two years ago, I was driving and on my way home in the Bay View when my vision started getting blurry,” said Burns. “I got home and took a nap and thought I could sleep it off. The next day, I ended up using the bathroom on myself, and that’s when I knew something was wrong.”

He went to St. Luke’s Hospital where he found out he had suffered a mild stroke. After learning his diagnosis, he was in the hospital for seven days.

“I had to get myself back together, and I was in rehab for six months,” he said.

In rehab he had to relearn how to walk and function again. Burns did his outpatient treatment at Southeast Health Clinic, when he was referred to the Bay View YMCA’s health program and once in that program, he changed his life around.

Burns is part of Healthy Heart San Francisco, a new federally funded campaign initiated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The program is designed to promote fitness opportunities for low-income San Francisco residents in the African American and Latino communities.

Health workers at city clinics offer physical activity prescriptions to people to take advantage of fitness classes, dieting and lifestyle changes, which help to promote healthier lifestyles.

“At the YMCA, I joined programs and began exercising daily with the treadmill, weights, walking and swimming,” said Burns. “I also changed my diet around, cutting back on the beef and sticking with a lot of chicken, fish and vegetables.”

Nationally, there are more than 1.5 million heart attacks and strokes that take place yearly according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Nearly 44 percent of African American men and 48 percent of African American women have some form of cardiovascular disease that includes heart disease and stroke.

A recent survey by the CDC found that more than (26.1 percent of Latinos reported having high blood pressure, and 30.4 percent with high blood pressure weren’t taking medication that could reduce their risk for heart attack and stroke.

According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Community Health Assessment, in San Francisco African American men have a higher rate of death than other ethnicities when it comes to heart disease, strokes and lung cancer.

African American women also have higher rates of death compared to other races when it comes to heart disease, strokes and lung cancer.

Health officials feel that the Healthy Heart Campaign can help spur lifestyle changes and promote improved health.

The main goal is to address health inequities…for African-Americans and Latinos who live in [areas] where at least 30 percent of the population live below 200 percent of the [poverty level] and 25 percent of adults are without a high school education,” said Jacqueline McCright, the deputy director of community health at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Andre Larrimore, a 53-year old Black man, has been a beneficiary of the Healthy Heart program, after almost not being able to walk, after having a work accident at the San Francisco Shipyard.

“I was on a wooden scaffold that was 20 feet up in the air when I slipped and fell and landed on my back and hit my head,” said Larrimore. “The end result was that I had a broken back and had suffered a concussion.”

He was in San Francisco General Hospital for a week and in a back brace for two months. In the process of being in the brace, he picked up a lot of extra weight and he began to worry about his health.

“I began to realize I had to take better care of my health,” continued Larrimore.

Ultimately, he enrolled in programs at the YMCA, began to walk and he changed his diet.

“I walk every day, workout daily and I have lowered my blood pressure and my diabetes is in control,” said Larrimore. “I am living much better as I have changed my diet 90 percent.”

The Healthy Heart program is a three-year pilot program, funded for $800,000. Residents in San Francisco can access the free classes by visiting the participating city clinics in San Francisco or by dialing 211 for more information.

Oakland Post

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Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

7 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

11 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

12 months ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.