With her weekly radio show, producer and publisher Audrey Adams is working to educate West Harlem about sickle cell disease, an illness that disproportionately impacts Black people. Due to prominent healthcare disparities, community leaders are increasingly interested in combating miseducation.

Ivan Santiago has lived in the same Manhattanville residence for his entire life. Santiago “had fun growing up [there]” but under pressure to sign a new lease due to his building’s conversion to privatized housing, he is uncertain about his future in Manhattanville.

The Community Board 9 Health and Environment Committee unveiled a resolution in February to address infant and maternal mortality in response to high rates of teen pregnancy and a lack of access to prenatal care in West Harlem.

Community members recently urged Community Board 9 to sign a letter in support of “Right to Counsel” legislation that would provide all tenants facing eviction with legal representation as the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly wait to vote on the bill.

Community Board 9’s public hearing on city budget priorities last month, community members identified aid for unhoused individuals living in growing encampments in St. Nicholas Park as a key concern.

Amid an increase in unlicensed cannabis sales recorded by the New York Police Department’s 30th Precinct, West Harlem saw the opening of its first legal cannabis dispensary on Wednesday. Yet, with increased policing of the cannabis market, residents and experts are still unsure of the future of cannabis use in West Harlem.