The Monsey Community Coalition for Health and Wellness (MCCHW) of Rockland County was established to represent and serve the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox populations of several communities in Rockland County. These communities (Monsey, Kaser, and New Square) are all located within the Town of Ramapo.  According to the 2000 Census, 14,504 people reside in Monsey; 3,316 in Kaser; and 4,624 in New Square.  Many of the Orthodox Jews living in these communities have low socioeconomic status, as families are quite large.  Monsey families average 5.16 children, Kaser 5.04, and New Square 5.81 – significantly greater than the county average of 3.47.  Additionally, adults in these communities usually do not receive a secular education beyond high school.  The poverty rates in these communities are astounding: 30.6 percent in Monsey, 66.4 percent in Kaser, and 72.5 percent in New Square, the highest level in the county.  All of these rates are well above both the county’s and state’s rates (9.5 percent and 14.6 percent respectively).  Over 30 percent of the population in Monsey and New Square participates in WIC, representing over 6,000 people.

In addition to the communities already noted, the coalition will also include the communities of Forshay, New Hempstead, Wesley Hills, and Pomona.  While these generally are their own villages, they have a high density of Orthodox Jewish residents.  Given their proximity to and shared infrastructure with the other Monsey communities, they are referred to collectively as the Greater Monsey community.  

The cloistered Orthodox Jewish population embraces a lifestyle defined in part by determined seclusion from the secular world, restricting their exposure to the Internet, radio, newspapers, magazines, television, movies, and secular books.  This restricted exposure seriously compromises their knowledge of and compliance with current health guidelines.  Findings from a 2007 Bikur Cholim – Partners in Health study of 251 Orthodox Jewish adults in Rockland County found that 77 percent do not utilize any secular media for attainment of health information.  High risk lifestyle factors are pervasive, as obesity and sedentary lifestyles are common.  Organized sports are shunned and the traditional diet is rich in fat and calories.  An additional barrier in the Orthodox Jewish population is limited mobility: there are few sidewalks, public transportation is sparse, and many of the women do not drive and limit their outings to family-related activities.  More than half of the residents of the Orthodox Jewish community are under 18 years of age and receive formal education through the dozens of private schools in the area.  The East Ramapo Central School District Federal Programs/Non-public Schools Division serves approximately 18,000 students, the vast majority of whom are from the Orthodox population.