Dr. Michael W. Cropp turns philosophical when he thinks about the mission of the Independent Health Foundation.
“It’s that old Chinese proverb about if you feed a person a fish, you feed him for a day,” says the president and CEO of Independent Health. “But if you teach them how to fish, you feed them for a lifetime.”
Educating—and not just providing—is what has driven the Independent Health Foundation since it was founded in 1992 to enhance the health and wellness of Western New Yorkers. And 30 years later, the goal of creating lasting change for communities in need is what continues to motivate Cropp and Independent Health Foundation executive director Carrie Meyer as they look toward the next three decades and beyond.
“We’re a resource for the community,” Meyer says. “We want to be able to provide as many opportunities as possible that will put people on the right path for their health in a fun and engaging way.”
The way the Independent Health Foundation has operated has evolved since Cropp was appointed president and CEO of Independent Health in 2004. Within two years, the approach shifted from reactive to proactive, yearlong programming replaced one-time or drop-in events, and the focus narrowed to children and families by investing more in programs such as First Night Buffalo, Soccer for Success and the Fitness for Kids Challenge.
“Instead of trying to be all things to all people, we needed to narrow our focus around kids because that’s the next generation,” Cropp says. “We would love to give as many children as possible a running start on a healthy life.”
That’s the idea behind the Independent Health Foundation’s newest program.
Launched in October 2021, Growing Up Strong is a regional pilot program in partnership with HealthySteps™—a national evidence-based program of ZERO TO THREE™—to achieve improved outcomes for babies and toddlers, with an emphasis on families living in low-income communities, by embedding a child development professional into the pediatric primary care team.
With the first three years of a child’s life crucial for ensuring long-term cognitive, physical, social and emotional development, this nationally growing model utilizes licensed counselors and social workers in pediatric practices to build relationships and help families better address and overcome challenges such as financial stress, reliable housing, transportation, food supplies and adequate clothing and childcare.
“Studies show there are ways to educate and build resilient children, and that’s our goal,” Meyer says. “Parents and their kids see their pediatrician about 20 times in the first five years of their child’s life, so this is a great opportunity for us to have this touch point to connect with them and find out what they need and how we can help.”
The Independent Health Foundation is currently working with five pediatric practices across Erie County—four in Buffalo and one in Blasdell—where poverty puts children at a disadvantage.
Counselors have spent the last few months training to become expert HealthySteps™ Specialists. Once the program is fully implemented later this year, they will help address factors that pediatricians may not have time to, given their demanding schedules and workloads.
More importantly, once those factors are identified, counselors will be there to help establish a path forward for parents to be able to access helpful resources that many people aren’t even aware of.
“We know we need to instill healthy habits while they’re young so that they can avoid serious diseases and complications later in life,” Meyer says. “That’s why we need to start with prenatal health to ensure Western New York children are able to grow up healthy and strong.”
What’s next
In addition to its new Growing Up Strong program, here’s what else Western New Yorkers can expect from the Independent Health Foundation in the coming years:
New partnerships. The Independent Health Foundation doesn’t want to just see its own programs succeed. It wants to partner with community groups that are already doing impactful work in all eight counties of Western New York. Relationships are actively being formed with leadership at community centers, schools, churches and the YMCA, among others, to expand services.
Second-order change. Meeting local agencies where they already work, live and play allows the Independent Health Foundation to reach a bigger and broader audience. “We want to help them become the stars,” Michael W. Cropp, M.D., president and CEO of Independent Health, says.
Independent Health Foundation executive director Carrie Meyer says supplementing those already-established connections is a win-win, but she adds that her team’s work is far from done: “We want to partner with groups leading the task and be there to provide support, resources, education and tools for them to be successful.”
