A Representation of Newark's Health Inequalities through the Eyes of a Lens

Socio-economic status, high crime index, health risk behaviors, and limited job opportunities contribute to health inequalities in urban communities. Established in 2007, the Newark Super Neighborhood Initiative, represented a venue for the City to encourage residents of neighboring communities to work together to identify, prioritize and address the needs and concerns of the broader community. This created a manageable framework for community action and allowed the city to provide services more efficiently. Thus, this model serves as an ideal framework to raise awareness of health inequalities within the Super Neighborhoods. Over the past two years, the authors attended monthly Super Neighborhood meetings and traveled throughout Newark searching for evidence of conditions that impacts the health and wellness of Newark's residents. During the meetings, residents were asked to direct us to areas within their Neighborhoods where they believe exist conditions or situations that affect the health of their community, and these were recorded. Residents were also asked to collaborate with their own pictures of events that they have witnessed and captured with a camera. In collaboration with the community, the pictures will be condensed to create a Photo Journal that serves as an educational medium to raise awareness on health inequalities. We anticipate that the photo journal will initiate meaningful dialogue among residents, city government, health care providers, health profession students and other city constituents. We hope to motivate people to take action to find solutions to address issues that contribute to health inequalities within the City of Newark.