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Health Reports:

Sewage Overflows Caused By Sandy
Superstorm Sandy caused 11 billion gallons of partially or untreated sewage - the equivalent of Central Park stacked 41 feet high - to leak into rivers, lakes, and waterways, according to this report by Climate Central. New York City reported six sewage spills larger than 100,000,000 gallons, and 28 larger than 1 million gallons. New York authorities estimate it will cost nearly $2 billion to repair flood damaged sewage treatment facilities. Sewage overflow is common in the city, although not on this scale, and climate change will only make things worse, the group warns: "Climate change is making sewage treatment plants more vulnerable to major failures and overflows due to rising seas, more intense coastal storms, and increasingly heavy precipitation events." 2013-04-30

Childhood lead poisoning drops
Childhood lead poisoning cases dropped 17 percent in 2011, achieving a new low in New York City, according to this Health Department report. The number of lead poisoning cases in young children has declined 56 percent since 2005.  2012-10-05

Heath care savings from drop in obesity rates
If New York were to reduce its body mass index by 5 percent by 2030, it could save $40 billion in health care costs, according to this report by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. But if the state continues on its current trajectory, it could have an adult obesity rate of 51 percent by that time.  2012-09-19

Cost of Public-Sector Retiree Health Benefits
This report by the Empire Center estimates that New York’s state and local governments combined unfunded liability for public-sector retiree health insurance comes to nearly $250 billion. 2012-09-18

Pedestrian and cyclist deaths
Crash data analyzed by Transportation Alternatives revealed that most city pedestrians and cyclists killed during a 14-year span died because drivers broke an enforceable traffic law. 2012-08-15

New Yorkers at risk for oral health problems
More than one in three adult New Yorkers are at risk for tooth decay from consuming one or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day, according to this Health Department report. Smoking, heavy alcohol use, and diabetes are other causes of common dental problems – including gum disease and tooth loss – in New York City, which combined with sugary drink consumption, place 59% of New Yorkers at risk for oral health problems. 2012-06-27

Waste-to-energy
This report by the Citizens Budget Commission makes the case that waste-to-energy should be a much larger component of the city's solid waste management strategy. 2012-06-04

Fewer smokers in parks
This study by the Health Department finds smoking in parks dropped two-thirds in the year after the city banned it. Smoking-related litter on beaches, such as cigarette butts, also declined by about two-thirds. 2012-05-29

The State's Active Gas Wells
This report by Environmental Advocates of New York looks at the state’s current oversight of drilling wastes from its 6,628 active gas wells. 2012-05-23

Painkiller Prescriptions Increasing
Opioid painkiller prescriptions are rising in the city, according to this report by the Health Department. It found that prescriptions rose 22 percent between 2008 and 2010; overdose deaths attributable to opioids have increased 30 percent since 2005; and only 15 percent of providers are prescribing 82 percent of the drugs. 2012-05-03

Health and Hospitals Corporation's Fiscal Challenges
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation expects about $1.6 billion in annual Medicaid supplementary payments to continue over the coming years, but those funds are actually in jeopardy, according to this report by the Citizens Budget Commission. Also, it finds that their plan to close projected gaps in expenses may prove unrealistic. 2012-04-26

Crime, Safety, Walking and Biking in Bed-Stuy
This report by Transportation Alternatives looks at how perceptions of safety, crime, and violence impact active transportation in Bed-Stuy. 2012-04-10

How to Fix the State's Hospital Indigent Care Program
This report by the Community Service Society assesses the financial assistance programs of the 201 hospitals statewide which participate in the hospital Indigent Care Pool program. 2012-03-15

Citywide Suicide Rate Lower than Nation's
The city’s suicide death rate is almost half the national rate, according to the Health Department. In New York City, 6 people per 100,000 die from suicide versus 11 deaths per 100,000 nationally. Suicide by firearm is less than one-fourth the national rate.  2012-02-28

Drop in AIDS Related Deaths
The Health Department finds a 41 percent drop in HIV/AIDS related deaths among black New Yorkers between 2001 and 2010. Despite this progress, black New Yorkers accounted for 48 percent of all new HIV diagnoses from 2006 to 2010, but only represent 25 percent of the city's population.  2012-02-08

Motor Vehicle Crashes Involving Kids on the East Side
Children under 18 make up about 30 percent of residents in both East Harlem and the Upper East Side. But according to this report by Transportation Alternatives, East Harlem children account for 43 percent of crash victims, while Upper East Side children represent less than 15 percent of neighborhood car crashes with pedestrians and bicyclists, a three-fold disparity. 2012-01-24

New Yorkers Living Longer
New Yorkers are living longer than ever before, according to this report by the Health Department. Babies born in the city in 2009 have the record high life expectancy of 80.6 years, an increase of nearly three years since 2000 and nearly two and a half years more than the most recently reported national rate of 78.2 years. Life expectancy for 40-year-olds in New York City increased by 2.5 years (79.5 to 82) from 2000 to 2009, a substantially greater gain than the 1.2 year increase for the same age group in the U.S. as a whole.  2012-01-04

Obesity in Schools Drops
Obesity rates among public elementary and middle school students in the city have decreased over the past five years across all race and ethnic groups, according to the Department of Health. This marks the biggest decline in childhood obesity by any large city and stands in sharp contrast to the stagnant nationwide rates. The overall obesity rates among kindergartners through eighth graders decreased 5.5 percent with the sharpest decline seen among children ages 5 to 6 years old.  2011-12-20

Eliminating Local Funding for Medicaid
The state's unusual requirement for substantial local government financing of Medicaid places an inequitable burden on taxpayers in less affluent communities, according to this report by the Citizens Budget Commission. Because Medicaid provides health care services primarily to the poor, low‐income counties pay a disproportionately large portion of Medicaid costs relative to their population size and wealth.  2011-12-13

Spending on AIDS
Over 25 years, the city's HIV/AIDS Services Administration has seen its caseload increase sharply and then, starting in 2003, leveled off, according to a report prepared by the Independent Budget Office in advance of World AIDS Day. In 2010, the city's spending per case began to decline. That spending reached a peak of $7,133 per case in 2009 and is now $6,872. 2011-11-30

State's Progress on Medicaid Savings
While the state says Medicaid reforms have brought it halfway to meeting the goal of saving $2.2 billion by 2012, this report by the CItizens Budget Committee argues that some savings may not be implemented on time. 2011-10-19

Ensuring the Rights of Methadone Patients
Many patients in opioid treatment programs are not offered hepatitis C tests and are not given education or services to prevent overdoses, according to this new survey by VOCAL-NY. More than half of patients have also missed a methadone treatment, which can trigger severe withdrawal.  2011-10-07

Phys Ed Flunks
Many elementary schools do not meet state guidelines for physical education, according to an audit released yesterday by City Comptroller John Liu. Schools did not offer the amount of physical activity required by the state, and some did not have a space for physical education or a physical education teacher. Despite the Bloomberg administration's concerns about obesity, school officials told the auditors that the city Department of Education leaves individual principals solely responsible for ensuring that students have the required opportunities for exercise.  2011-10-05

Bikes vs. Pedestrians
More people walking in New York City are injured by bicyclists than was previous thought, according to a new analysis by two Hunter College professors. Their study found that about 500 people walking in the city are seriously enough injured after being struck by a bike to go to the hospital. This contrasts with almost 10,000 people who go to the hospital after being struck by cars, according to the city transportation department.  2011-09-20

Restaurants Saved $3 Million by Getting A's on the First Try
Restaurant owners saved an estimated $3 million in the last six months by earning A's when first inspected, according to the Bloomberg administration. In January the mayor said that any restaurant that earned an A on its initial inspection wouldn't have to pay fines for any sanitary violations found on that inspection. 2011-08-12

State of the Hudson
Despite massive improvements in the water quality of the Hudson River over the past 40 years, sewage contamination remains a problem, according to a report by the environmental group Riverkeeper. In testing conducted between 2006 and 2010, the group found the river failed to meet federal guidelines for safe swimming 21 percent of the time. The problem often becomes more severe after rain, which can trigger sewage overflow into the river. Contaminated tributaries also contribute to the pollution. 2011-08-10

Disabilities and Inequality
"Disability Matters" a report by the Center of Independence for the Disabled looks at how disabilities still leads to inequality across New York. Among other things, the report finds that in New York City the income gap for the disabled is highly pronounced compared to the rest of the state.  2011-07-27

Ticketing Produce
Strict enforcement of laws on vendors, along with confiscation of fresh produce and equipment, pose a major risk to the street market on Forsyth Street in Chinatown, according to a report by the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center. The report, Spoiled!. estimates vendors at the market, which it calls the busiest such market in a low-income New York neighborhood, have received more than 2,000 tickets in the last two years. Through these actions, the report says, "The city is undeniably undermining its other praiseworthy efforts to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in low-income neighborhoods like Chinatown."  2011-07-26

Federal Medicaid Cuts Jeopardize State's Economy
A Republican Congressional budget proposal to cut federal funding for Medicaid to states by 5 percent in 2013 would put nearly 30,000 jobs at risk in New York, jeopardizing $3.8 billion in business activity, according to this report by Families USA.  2011-07-22

New Yorkers Healthier Than Ever
Life expectancy in New York City is at an all-time high, standing at 79.4 years – higher than the national rate of 78 years, according to this new report by the Health Department. The overall mortality and infant mortality rates continue to decrease with 6.3 deaths per 1,000 people and 5.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, respectively. 2011-06-24

Death by Traffic
One New Yorker dies in a traffic crash every 35 hours, according to a new report by Transportation Alternatives and the Drum Major Institute. The report also finds more New Yorkers were killed by traffic than guns in the last 10 years. Although the report praises the city government for making streets safer, it says more must be done. In particular the report calla for action to stop speeding vehicles, which it says are the "number one contributing factor for fatal crashes." 2011-06-12

Air Gets a Passing Grade
Following two months of monitoring, the federal Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that the air outside I.S. 143 on West 182nd Street in Manhattan does not have sufficient toxic air pollution to warrant concern. The monitoring was part of a program that checked air at 63 schools in 22 states. I.S. 143 was selected because it is in a densely populated area and near highways that generate toxic air pollutants.  2011-05-31

Care and Oversight of Assisted Living
Many adult homes, enriched housing and assisted living residences are violating the state's care rules and are either harming their residents or putting them at risk for harm, according to this report by the Long Term Care Community Coalition. 2011-05-27

Bronx, Brooklyn Unhealthy
The Bronx and Brooklyn rank at the bottom of New York's counties when it comes to health, according to this new report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island land relatively high among the states’s 62 counties. Whether counties are ranked by “health outcomes” (rates of illness and death) or by “health factors” (characteristics that influence health), counties with large minority populations and high rates of poverty consistently rank least healthy. 2011-03-31

Continued Decline in Tuberculosis Cases
New York City recorded 711 cases of tuberculosis in 2010 – a 6 percent decrease from 2009 and an 81 percent drop from the high levels seen in the early 1990s, according to this new Health Department report. This continued decline reflects national trends. While the number of tuberculosis cases overall has declined, it has risen among the city's foreign-born population. 2011-03-24

Latino Families in Distress
Latino families account for a disproportionate number of the abuse and neglect reports for children in New York City, according to a new report, "The State of Latino Families in New York 2011" by the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families. The report also found high levels of obesity and asthma among Latino children, along with a teenage birthrate seven times higher than that for whites,  2011-03-23

New Yorkers Eat Too Much Salt
An average New Yorker consumes 3,150 mg of sodium per day – twice the recommended limit for most adults and in line with previous national estimates, according to this new Health Department study. hese preliminary findings come from the first population-based study in the country to assess sodium intake by the most accurate method, through testing urine samples collected over a 24-hour period. Complete study findings will be released later this year. 2011-03-18

State's Long Term Care Report Card
Last year, New York state government's protection of those who rely on long term care varied widely from entity to entity, according to this new report card by the Long Term Care Community Coalition. The Medicaid inspector general and the attorney general fared best with 'A' marks, while the Senate received the worst grade with a 'D-'. 2011-03-10

Long-Term Care Through Medicaid is Too Costly
New York’s Medicaid program could ultimately save up to $2.9 billion in combined federal, state and local funds by tightening eligibility criteria, enforcing federally mandated recovery of paid benefits, promoting home equity conversion prior to Medicaid eligibility, and encouraging the purchase of private long-term care insurance, according to the Empire Center for New York State Policy.  2011-03-04

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans' Mental Health in New York
A study by the RAND Corporation of veterans in New York from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars found elevated rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression. It outlines an approach to improve services for them, calling for the reduction of barriers to seeking treatment; improving the sustainment of -- or adherence to -- treatment; and improving the quality of the services being delivered.  2011-01-27

Hunger in New York City
While fewer New York City residents have difficulty affording food than at the peak of the recession, some 37 percent of New Yorkers still found it hard to purchase food in 2010, according to report by the Food Bank for New York City and the Marist College Institute for Pulbic Opinion. "Less Food on the Table," which is an annual opinion poll, found this number represented a sharp increase from 2003. In order to feed their families, some respondents said they have had to reduce food intake, choose between food and other necessities, and go into their savings 2011-01-24

Drinking in New York
More than 1,500 New Yorkers died of alcohol-related causes in 2008, according to a recent health department report. The report also found that, of the slightly more than half of adult New Yorkers who said they consumed some alcohol in the past year, 42 percent they had had engaged in binge drinking -- consuming five or more drinks on a single occasion. Such excessive drinking led to some 70,000 emergency room visits last year. The findings have sparked the city to launch a campaign highlighting the effects of drinking too much.  2010-12-06

Annual Hunger Survey Report
Demand at the city’s food pantries and soup kitchens increased by 6.8 percent 2010, on top of a 20.8 percent increase in 2009, according to this annual report by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. Despite this, most hungry New Yorkers were able to hang on, due in large part to a massive increase in federal anti-hunger funding. 2010-11-24

Medicaid Reform Needed
A new report from the Citizens Budget Commission urges the new Cuomo administration to restructure the state's Medicaid system, which has the highest costs in the nation. According to the report, the elderly and disabled comprise less than one in four enrollees, but they use 72 percent of the dollars. 2010-11-21

Death by Excessive Drinking
Excessive drinking remains a major cause of injury and death in New York City, causing nearly 100,000 hospitalizations each year, as well as 1,500 deaths from injury and illness, according to this report by the Health Department.  2010-11-18

Retirees' Insurance Bill
New York State will have to pay some $205 billion for health insurance for retired state and local government employees, according to a new report by the Empire Center. A new government accounting standard, the report says, enabled the center to figure out what it says is the true cost of insurance for the public employees, many of whom are retired but too young for the federal Medicare program. New York City accounts for almost $62 billion of the total. 2010-10-19

Health Care Under the Knife
The Health and Hospitals Corporation's new restructuring plan takes a "slash and burn" approach to becoming financially stable, according to a new report from labor union, DC 37. The report claims the agency's plan contains a "deeply flawed" cost benefit analysis and it did not involve employees in the planning process.  2010-09-20

Summertime Air Quality
Major air pollution in the summer is concentrated in the city’s most densely populated areas, according to this new Health Department report, but suburban neighborhoods downwind from high emissions have higher ozone levels. 2010-08-18

Most New Yorkers with HIV at Least 40-Years-Old
A new study by the city Health Department finds that 75 percent of HIV/AIDS positive New Yorkers are 40-years-old or over, and more than a third are at least 50-years-old.  2010-07-16

Bronx HIV Testing
Bronx residents have received more than 375,000 HIV tests since the launch of “The Bronx Knows” HIV testing initiative in 2008, according to the city's Health Department. The two year milestone far exceeds the initiative’s three year goal of helping 250,000 Bronx adults learn their HIV status. 2010-06-30

Sugar Tax Would Prevent Adult Obesity
A proposed tax on sugar-sweetened beverages could prevent 145,000 or more cases of adult obesity in the state over the next decade, according to new research from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.  2010-06-25

Air Quality
The Bronx and Staten Island were graded 'F' on air quality by the American Lung Association in their annual rankings. In the two categories measured by the group, particle pollution and high ozone days, both boroughs failed.  2010-05-26

Growing Older With the Epidemic
About one-third of all of all people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States are now 50 years of age or older. Thanks to new treatments those affected by the epidemic are living longer but with that great achievement come new challenges. This study by the Gay Men's Health Crisis looks at what is known about aging with HIV/AIDS and what is not.  2010-05-07

TB Cases Down
The city saw 760 cases of tuberculosis in 2009, equal to a 15 percent decrease from the year before, according to a report from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The number of cases represents a 79 percent decrease from the early 90s.  2010-04-12

Drug Deaths Declining
A report by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shows that drug-related fatalities have dropped by 27 percent over the last two years. However, drug use remains the third leading cause of premature death for New Yorkers between 25 and 34 years old.  2010-03-17

Cost Sharing in New York Insurance
A new report from the United Hospital Fund analyzes cost sharing insurance plans in New York and determines how they impact out of pocket expenses for enrollees and the cost of deductibles. It found that increased out of pocket expenses for enrollees "degrades the value of group insurance." 2010-03-08

Drug Deaths Drop
Deaths from accidental drug overdoses dropped sharply in 2008, reaching their lowest level since 1999, according to a report released yesterday by the city health department. Although such deaths decreased by 27 percent, falling to 666 in the year, accidental overdoses remain the third leading cause of death for New Yorkers aged 25 to 34.  2010-03-02

A New Food Plan
A new report from Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, titled "FoodNYC: A Blueprint for a Sustainable Food System," outlines proposals to improve access to healthy foods in underserved neighborhoods and expand the city's food economy. The report recommends offering "Meatless Mondays" at school cafeterias, building a municipal compost site and expanding the distribution of regional foods. 2010-02-23

Syringe Arrests
Police activity and outdated state law keep many people from participating in syringe exchange programs, a report by three advocacy groups concludes. The report, "Stuck in the System," cited widespread arrests of people for having syringes, even though they were enrolled in syringe access programs. The report recommends that the state remove its law against syringe possession. The exchange programs were established about 20 years ago to help prevent the spread of AIDS and hepatitis among intravenous drug users. 2010-02-03

Syringe Programs Collide With State Law
A new report from Voices of Community Advocates and Leaders and the Urban Justice Center's Community Development Project reveals despite state public health law exemptions that allow syringe access programs, some participants are targeted for police harassment. According to the report, more than 70 percent of survey respondents were charged with unlawful syringe possession, even though nine out of 10 were carrying syringe exchange program cards. The report recommends inconsistencies in the state's health policies and its penal code be eliminated.  2010-02-02

Life Expectancy Hits Record
Life expectancy for New Yorkers born in 2007 has increased to an average of 79.4 years, the longest average life expectancy ever recorded, according to a new report by the Health Department. 2010-01-27

Hazardous Buildings
A review of buildings in Manhattan by the office of Borough President Scott Stringer found a quarter of a million open Department of Buildings and Environmental Control Board violations in the borough. The report, Falling Apart at the Seams, found 33 percent of those violations were classified as “hazardous,” meaning they warranted “immediate corrective action.” Unresolved hazardous environmental control board violations persist at almost 40 percent of Manhattan’s public schools and 60 percent of public hospital buildings. A spokesperson for the mayor has said the problem is being addressed. 2010-01-25

Active Transportation Leads to Better Health
A report by the Health Department finds "self propelled" transportation like walking, cycling or skating can improve health.  2009-12-14

Skipping Breakfast
Although the Bloomberg administration has instituted a universal breakfast program in city schools, more than two thirds of low-income students fail to take advantage of it, according to a national study by Food Research and Action Center. This contrasts with Newark, Columbus and Boston where more than 50 percent of low-income students get breakfast. (For an analysis of New York's performance, go to the New York Coalition Against Hunger.)  2009-12-09

Commuting and Physical Activity
At least two-thirds of New Yorkers have walked or biked more than 10 blocks in the last month, according to a recent study from the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. About 16 percent of adults consider walking and biking as part of their daily commute, the study found. The study also found people become less active with age with 45 percent of New Yorkers aged 65 or older reporting to have done less than 10 blocks of active travel in the past month.  2009-12-07

Continued Rise in Diabetes
The rate of diabetes in New York City continues to increase, with more than 9 percent of adults here now known to have the disease, according to a new report by the city health department. This compares with a national rate of 7.5 percent, according to the report, Diabetes Among New York City Adults. Another 23 percent of New Yorkers have elevated blood sugar levels that put them at risk of the disease. Diabetes is most prevalent among blacks and Hispanics, although the rate is rising most rapidly among Asians, particularly those with college degrees. 2009-11-30

Scheduling Mammogram Screenings
A new report from the City Council found the average wait time for a mammogram is approximately 2.6 weeks, and at 59 percent of facilities surveyed a woman could schedule an appointment within a week. Though the report says these numbers are encouraging, it also states some facilities have low reimbursement rates. As a result, the City Council recommends passing legislation in Washington to require insurers cover an annual mammogram screening for women over 40. 2009-10-27

Lead Poisonings Drop
The number of children with lead poisoning last year dropped 19 percent from the previous year, according to an annual report by the Health Department. The number of poisonings has dropped 92 percent since 1995. 2009-10-21

Half Without Paid Sick Leave
A new survey by A Better Balance and the Community Service Society of New York reveals nearly half of New Yorkers do not have paid sick time. The society estimates between 1.65 million and 1.85 million do not have paid sick time, while between 1.3 million and 1.5 million have no paid time off at all. Meanwhile, two-thirds of low income New Yorkers have no paid sick leave. 2009-10-19

Lead Poisoning Down Among City Children
Lead poisoning of city children decreased 19 percent last year according to a study by the Health Department. 2009-10-16

New York Health Markets
As Congress continues to debate health care reform, the United Hospital Fund takes a look at how health insurance works here in New York. In a new report, titled “The Big Picture,” the Fund takes a look at the public, commercial and self-funded insurance markets. In 2006, according to the report, buyers paid more than $41.5 billion in premiums for coverage. 2009-10-06

Not Enough Hospital Beds for Flu Outbreak
The Trust for America's Health released a new report yesterday finding that 15 states, including New York, could run out of available hospital beds during the peak of a swine flu outbreak. 2009-10-02

Candidates on HIV Crisis
Gay Men's Health Crisis has released its mayoral candidates report, which divulges where all of the candidates stand on issues relating to AIDS and HIV. Democratic candidates Bill Thompson, Tony Avella and Tyrell Eiland answered the questionnaire. Mayor Michael Bloomberg declined to. 2009-09-01

Childhood Poisonings
Accidental poisoning is the third leading cause of hospitalization for injury among children ages one to four, according to a city health department report. “Unintentional Poisoning in New York City Children" tracked the approximately 4,000 calls a year the city's Poison Control Center receives reporting poisonings of children under age 15 that require a visit with a health care professional. It found 75 percent of these calls involve children younger than five and that medications accounted for almost half the poisonings. 2009-08-18

Fitness, Academic Performance Linked
While the adverse effects of obesity are well known, a new report by the city education and health departments has found what it says is "a strong association between fitness and academic success." To make this connection, the report found that heavier students do not do as well on the city Fitnessgram assessments as thinner students. It then determined that students who do better on the Fitnessgrams also do better on tests of academic performance. 2009-07-27

Air Pollution May Lower IQ
Exposure to a certain type of air pollution can lower a child's IQ, according to research conducted in Manhattan and the Bronx by the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health. A study of children of Dominican and black women who did not smoke found children exposed to environmental pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons had IQs abut four points lower than similar children who did not have high level of exposure to the pollution. The pollutant in question comes from burning of coal, diesel, oil and gas, or other organic substances such as tobacco. For a summary of the report, go to the Mailman School of Public Health. 2009-07-21

What New York Can Learn from Other Cities
This new report by the Drum Major Institute offers examples from other cities of solutions to problems in the policy areas of economic opportunity, housing affordability, criminal justice, workplace standards, environmental sustainability, and health care. 2009-07-16

Child Deaths
The fatality rate for New York City children is one third lower than the national average, according to a report by the city health department. Between 2001 and 2007, 15 children aged 1 through 12 died for every 100,000 children in the city, according to the city's Child Fatality Health Team, compared with a rate of 20 children per 100,00 for the nation as a whole. The department attributes the difference to the comparatively low incidence of motor vehicle related deaths and injuries in the city. The report also cited major discrepancies between races in the frequency of fatal injuries, the leading cause of death for children, with black youngster having a sharply higher death rate from injuries than those in the groups. 2009-07-08

Protecting 9/11 Workers
The annual report by the September 11 Worker Protection Task Force recommends a number of ways the state and city can help protect and monitor the health of 9/11 workers. 2009-07-07

Integrating Physical and Mental Health for Medicaid Recipients
A study of Medicaid patients with both chronic physical health conditions and serious mental illness released by United Hospital Fund's Medicaid Institute this week looks at approaches to integrating physical and behavioral health care in and out of New York state. The conclusion? Specific recommendations to better integrate care, which is currently split cleanly into two. 2009-07-01

Boosting Health Technology
The health information technology sector could provide a financial boost to the city and help diversify our economy, according to a new report by the Center for an Urban Future. The report, titled "Record Recovery," argues that the city's large health care industry, including its 65 hospitals, 1,300 outpatient clinics and over 30,000 doctors, could reap the benefits of more than $19 billion in federal stimulus funding that is dedicated to converting paper records to electronic ones. Much of the city's health care industry, according to the report, still uses paper records. 2009-06-30

On the Job Fatalities
Immigrant, minority and non-union construction workers are at high risk for on the job fatalities, according to a new report from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health. Titled "Dying for Work in New York," the report states that 219 workers died from occupational injuries in New York State in 2007, 81 of which were in New York City. A decline from the previous year, these figures show the number of Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors statewide are insufficient to protect New York workers. 2009-06-16

Junk Food in Schools
Many New York City schools sell candy, soda and other unhealthy foods in violation of city Department of Education policies, according to a recent audit by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The comptroller's office surveyed 30 schools and found unhealthy food in vending machines and school stores at 20 of them. The education department has already begun implementing a series of steps in response to the audit. 2009-06-15

Assessment of Gay Health Needs
Over 20 percent of gays lack health insurance, compared to 15 percent of heterosexuals lacking care, according to a new report by the Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation. Nearly 14 percent of gays have been homeless at one point in their lives. Thirteen percent have experienced sexual assault or violence that put them in the hospital. 2009-06-12

Impact of Housing Conditions on Asthma
A housing code enforcement system that does not recognize the link between asthma and housing conditions leaves asthmatic New Yorkers stuck in homes where they are unable to breathe, according this new report by Make the Road. 2009-05-22

Healthcare in New York Prisons
A report by the Correctional Association of New York finds that prisoners in New York receive varying standards of care. The report details improvements the authorities have made in inmate care but also chronicles inconsistent treatment. Inmates complain of being denied timely care, problems receiving prescriptions, inadequate examinations and failures to treat chronic problems. A lack of resources, improperly trained medical staff and a lack of oversight leads to inconsistent care, the report states. 2009-05-13

Air Quality
The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island all received failing grades form the American Lung Association for high ozone days. There was incomplete data for Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Bronx, Manhattan and Queens received failing grades for particle pollution. Brooklyn received a 'D' and Staten Island a 'C' in that category. The New York area is the 17th most ozone-polluted city and 22nd worst for year-round particle pollution. 2009-05-08

Second Hand Smoke
More than half of New York City residents who do not smoke have elevated levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine breakdown, in their blood. This means that they were recently exposed to second-hand smoke in concentrations high enough to leave residues in the body. Data from the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research found that even though New Yorkers are less likely to smoke than Americans overall, the cotinine levels here are greater than the national average. 2009-04-20

Women and HIV/AIDS in New York
More than 60 percent of the 30,000 New York City women and girls with HIV or AIDS live in eastern Brooklyn, the Bronx and northern Manhattan, according to a report by the Women's HIV Collaborative of New York. The report, which tracked HIV and AIDS in the city and correlated it with other factors, also found that these neighborhoods all have high poverty levels, large numbers of incarcerated residents and low high school graduation rates. 2009-03-11

Take Care New York (Year Four)
The Mayor announced in his weekly radio address that the most recent progress report from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found New Yorkers are "healthier than ever. The department's Take Care New York initiative focuses on ten health care priorities for city residents. Annual reports check in on the progress towards each goal. This year, the report found that while breast cancer screenings and flu shots are down, increasing numbers of New Yorkers see a doctor regularly or have stopped smoking. 2009-03-08

The State's Health Spending
In a survey of 19 states, New York is tied for the highest rate of health spending as a percentage of gross state product, according to the Rockefeller Institute of Government. The state also spends more than any of those states on Medicaid, both in terms of total dollars and per-capita spending, the study showed. 2009-02-27

Non-Citizens Lack Health Insurance
Non-citizen New Yorkers are three times more likely than citizens to lack health insurance, finds a new report by New Yorkers for Accessible Health Coverage and the New York Immigration Coalition. The report proposes ways to expand coverage through lowering various barriers of entry. 2009-02-25

Food, Hunger, Health, Jobs and the Environment
The Manhattan Borough President recently unveiled a six pronged plan to combat obesity and overweight. Among his recommendations are: creating an Office of Food Policy; including food indicators in accountability efforts, similar to those of crime and drug use reporting; expanded food and nutrition education; and the exploration of land use and zoning incentives to encourage to development of food markets in needy areas. 2009-02-13

Clinical Trials Done in Good Faith
A new report from the Vera Institute of Justice confirms that the city acted in good faith throughout a program, which allowed children in foster care who had been diagnosed with HIV and AIDS to participate in clinical drug trials. The study did find that the city did not follow some of its own procedures during the trials and did not fill out the proper paperwork. The study was commissioned by the city after accusations arose that the children were participating without parental consent and that the drugs were known to cause death. 2009-01-28

Small Businesses Ready to Reform Healthcare
Small business owners want real health reform, are willing to contribute, and want the option of a public health insurance plan. These are the surprising findings of a report, titled "Taking the Pulse of Main Street: Small Businesses, Health Insurance, and Priorities for Reform," released last Thursday in Woodside, Queens by Small Business United for Health Care Reform, a coalition spearheaded by the community group Make the Road New York. 2009-01-26

Alcohol and Sex
New Yorkers who binge drink are more likely to have multiple sex partners than other New Yorkers, according to a new health department study. The report found that 17 percent of people who had five or more alcoholic beverages at one time, which it defines as binge drinking, had two to four sex partners during the year, compared with 5 percent of people who do not drink and 11 percent of those who drink but do not binge drink. There was a similar gap for people who had five or more sex partners. The health department said this indicated binge drinking could lead to higher rates of HIV and AIDS, but did not offer any statistics on this. 2009-01-13

Health Care and Gays and Lesbians
Gays and lesbians experience hostility and discrimination when seeking care in the city's public hospitals and they do not receive care that accounts for their specific health disparities, according to a new report by the public advocate's office. The report recommends that the Health and Hospitals Corporation require and provide sensitivity training for their employees, and create a liaison for issues relating to the gay and lesbian community. 2008-12-11

Fighting Fat
New York City has taken a number of steps to combat widespread obesity but it needs to do more to reduce the promotion and availability of unhealthy food, according to Reversing Obesity in New York City, a report by the City University of New York Campaign Against Diabetes and the Public Health Association of New York City. The report calls for the creation of healthy food zones, using zoning laws to restrict fast food outlets and countering what it sees as misleading claims in advertising by fast-food chains. 2008-12-01

Hunger Increased in 2007
The United States Department of Agriculture reported that 700,000 more Americans couldn¹t afford a full and stable supply of food in 2007 than in 2006. The data confirmed that there were 36.2 million Americans ­ including 12 million children ­ who were food-insecure in 2007 even before the current economic slowdown. Over the 2005-2007 time period, the percentage of households in New York State suffering from the greatest hunger increased slightly, from 3.2 to 3.3 percent. 2008-11-18

Problems at STD Clinics
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum today released a new survey of sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics operated by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Free city-run clinics set up to diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, were often unable to provide important services and information, according to the findings. Rapid HIV tests were only available at one of the 10 clinics. 2008-10-28

Mammography Rate Drops
According to a new report from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the city's mammography rate has declined from 77 percent to 74 percent between 2002 and 2007. The screening rate has decreased for white, Hispanic and Asian women, while it has increased to 80 percent among black women. Rates fell 5 percent among the city's most educated women. The lowest rate — at 41 percent -- was for women with no regular health care provider and no insurance. 2008-10-22

Health Insurance Risk Pools
The United Hospital Fund of NYC examined New York's commercial market for individuals and small businesses, and looks at one approach to shoring up New York's "Direct Pay" market in their report, Merging the Markets. They found that combining the risk pools of New York's individual and small group health insurance markets could reduce premiums for individuals by more than 37 percent, and that increased state reinsurance funding of could mitigate health insurance premium increases for small employer groups that may result from such a merger. 2008-10-20

Access to Emergency Contraception
A new report from Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum found only one-third of clinics run by the Health and Hospitals Corporation and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene offer emergency contraception. The survey, which was a follow-up to a similar analysis in 2007, saw a slight improvement in the contraception's availability. The survey was based on telephone interviews by investigators at the public advocate's office. 2008-10-14

Hungry Children
More than 20 percent of New York City children relied on food from soup kitchens and food pantries in 2007, up 48 percent from 2004, according to "Child Hunger," a new report from the Food Bank for New York City. The report faults federal food and other poverty programs for not adequately addressing the need and says the situation is likely to become worse as a result of the current economic crisis. 2008-10-08

Risk of High Blood Pressure
A new study by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found more than 750,000 New Yorkers are at risk of heart attack or stroke because of dangerously high blood pressure. Half of the 1.5 million New Yorkers with high blood pressure do not have the condition under control. The survey found one in four New Yorkers have high blood pressure compared to 30 percent nationwide. 2008-10-07

Low Food Stamp Access in Immigrant Communities
A recent report by the Urban Justice Center, Nourishing NYC: Increasing Food Stamps Access in Immigrant Communities, shows that hundreds of thousands of low-income immigrants and their children in New York City are not receiving the food stamps for which they qualify. 2008-10-06

Healthier School Buses
The Environmental Defense Fund proposes a $30 million retrofit program for the city's school buses over three years. The program would upgrade the bus fleet's diesel engines so that 90 percent of their pollution would be eliminated. Pollution is five times higher inside buses than it is outside, according to the report. 2008-10-03

Mental Health of 9/11 Workers
A new study of 9/11 rescue workers found that 11.1 percent met criteria for probable post-traumatic stress disorder, a level comparable to that seen in Afghanistan war veterans and far higher than that in the U.S. general population. The study, which appeared in Environmental Health Perspectives, looked at results of a mental health questionnaire submitted by 10,132 ground zero workers. It found the post-traumatic stress disorder has led to a series of difficulties including disrupting of work and family life and behavioral problems in the rescue workers' children. 2008-10-01

Unsatisfactory Elevators
A report from Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer found approximately 75 percent of elevators in New York City Housing Authority buildings are unsatisfactory. The report examined elevator inspections for the past five years. In one Brooklyn housing project, elevators failed every inspection. The report urges an immediate review of all of the authority's 3,300 elevators. 2008-09-29

Primary Care Initiative Community Health Assessment
A Primary Care Initiative Community Health Assessment released by the City Council, the Health and Hospitals Corp. and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene highlights 11 communities in the city that face the most significant shortages of primary care services and pinpoints healthcare services that need improvement. 2008-09-23

State Pay-to-Play
State Senate Republicans received far more campaign contributions than the Assembly Democrats from the health insurance industry from 2003 to 2007, according to a report by Citizen Action New York. While the Republicans received $600,000, the Democrats received $175,000, it said. Meanwhile, only the Democratic controlled Assembly has passed legislation to curb rising insurance premiums. This, the report argues, is an example of why public financing is needed on the state level. 2008-09-12

Shelter Denied Too Often
A new report from Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum contends the city's Department of Homeless Services may make frequent errors when denying families overnight shelter. The report, which profiles several families that were denied shelter by the city, says of the 278 families that were denied shelter between October 2007 and February 2008, 61 percent were later found eligible. The report recommends the city discontinue the denial of shelter to families who apply again for overnight stay after 5 p.m. 2008-08-06

The Green Cart Initiative – Will It Work?
Elana Behar examines the city's plan to issue licenses to street vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables in areas of the city with high rates of obesity and heart disease and little access to healthy foods and looks at what effects it might have. This is one in a series of working papers sponsored the Hunter College Center for Community Planning and Development. 2008-07-08

Unsafe Sex
A new survey by the Health Department reveals that 11 percent of New Yorkers have had sex with more than one partner in the past year. Of those, 60 percent said they used a condom the last time they had sex. Men were three times as likely than women to have had multiple partners and those with same-sex partners were three times as likely than opposite-sex partners to have multiple partners. 2008-06-26

Air Pollution, Ethnicity, and Birth Outcomes
African American newborns are affected by certain air pollutants while other ethnicities from the same area - specifically Dominican babies - are not, according to a recent study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Among Dominicans, developmental hazards were not associated with exposure to the pollutants - called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are formed by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, wood, and tobacco products. But among African Americans, "exposure increased the risk of pre-term delivery and the likelihood of infants being born small." The authors of the study conclude that cultural differences, such as more nutritious diets and more supportive social networks among Dominicans, may have led to the difference and they call for further study. The study analyzed 616 pregnant mothers in Washington Heights, Harlem or the South Bronx. 2008-06-19

Helping the Mentally Ill
The city and state's systems for treating New Yorkers with severe mental illness are not coordinated, and the quality of care can be uneven, according to a report by a city-state panel on mental health and criminal justice. The group was created after several well-publicized incidents in which mentally ill people committed acts of violence. The panel reviewed some of these cases with an eye on improving care for mentally ill people who are at risk of violence. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson have said they will implement the panel's recommendations. 2008-06-16

High Herpes Rate
More than one in four adult New Yorkers is infected with Herpes Simplex Virus-2, the virus that causes genital herpes, according to a report by the city health department. Although the virus can cause painful sores in some cases, most people with it have no recognizable symptoms. The condition, however, doubles the risk that a person will contract HIV when exposed to the AIDS virus. 2008-06-11

Teen Suicide Attempts Down
According to the Department of Health, 8 percent of teens attempted suicide in 2007, which is a decline from 10 percent in 2005. Incidents had repeatedly increased between 1995 and 2005. Cases were reported by adolescents in the New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a self administered, anonymous questionnaire. In 2005, suicide attempts were about 25 percent higher in the city than nationally. National data for 2007 has yet to be released. 2008-06-06

Punishing Doctors
New York is sanctioning fewer doctors, despite an increase in physicians and complaints against them, according to a report by several consumer groups. “Strengthening New York State’s Oversight of Doctors: The Case for Reforms” found the number of doctors punished in 2007 was the lowest since 1996. The groups urged the state to strengthen its oversight of doctors. 2008-05-28

Schools Slacking on Physical Education
A report by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum found 3 percent of third graders had gym class every day, despite a state mandate. State law requires students in kindergarten through third grade participate in gym class daily, and fourth through sixth graders participate three times a week. The survey questioned 100 random elementary schools and 50 randomly selected middle schools throughout the five boroughs. The report urges the Department of Education to meet state requirements and provide athletic extracurricular activities. 2008-05-05

Obesity and Diabetes Rise
Adults in the city gained a collective 10 million pounds between 2002 and 2004, according to a new Health Department report. Obesity and diabetes rates both jumped 17 percent over that time period, the report also showed. Nationally, the obesity rate rose six percent while diabetes diagnoses remained flat. Health Department researchers found the consumption of sugar-sweetened soda to a be a major contributor to the rise. 2008-03-27

Report Card on New York Hospitals and Uninsured
This survey by the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York analyzes how 97 of the largest hospitals in the state are complying with a 2007 law intended to protect uninsured New Yorkers from high hospital bills. The survey found that many hospitals were voluntarily offering greater financial assistance than the law requires, however most hospitals are not complying with all of the regulations like allowing patients to apply for assistance within a certain timeframe or creating installment plans. 2008-03-25

Support for Public Hospitals
The city's annual subsidy to the Health and Hospitals Corp. has increased from about $290 million a year to $1.2 billion a year in less than 10 years, enabling public hospitals to provide care while building a cash balance of $1 billion, according to a report by the Independent Budget Office. Much of the increase comes from changes in Medicaid, which allow the city to funnel more money to the hospitals. But the report concludes the hospitals may face financial challenges in the years ahead as payments for patient care only cover about two-thirds of their operating expenses, making the corporation dependent on funds from the city, state and federal governments. 2008-03-12

Scaffolding Progress from Buildings Department
A progress report from Department of Buildings Commissioner Patricia J. Lancaster showed scaffolding accidents recently decreased by half, from 25 in 2006 to 12 in 2007. The report shows that 12 of the 13 recommendations from the Bloomberg administration introduced last year have been implemented, including the creation of a scaffolding safety team and increased coordination between the department and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The recommendations are aimed at improving safety conditions at sites with scaffolding. 2008-02-06

Mercury in Sushi
An analysis of tuna sushi bought by The New York Times at 20 stores in Manhattan showed that consumption of a regular diet serving -- or about six pieces a week -- would exceed the acceptable levels of mercury established by the Environmental Protection Agency. A professor of environmental and occupational medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a professor of life sciences at Rutgers University, both in New Jersey, conducted the analysis, released in today's edition. No government agency tests mercury levels in fish on a regular basis, and experts said it is likely similar high levels would be found throughout the country. Out of the 20 stores tested, 25 percent had levels high enough that legal action could be taken by the Food and Drug Administration to take the products off the shelves. 2008-01-23

Deaths Down, Pregnancies Up
Teen pregnancies increased in 2006 after they had been on the decline for a decade, according to a new vital statistics report from the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Overall, births increased by 3,000 in 2006, with babies born to teens accounting for 8,695 babies out of a total of 125,506. The report details births, deaths and disease and also reveals the most popular baby names. The city had a record-low number of deaths, and deaths attributed to smoking, HIV and alcohol declined. 2008-01-14

Lead Poisoning and Immigrants
Immigrant children are five times more likely than other New York City children to suffer from lead poisoning, according to a report by the city health department. Because children who have arrived in this country recently are the most likely to be affected, the health department thinks the children may have been exposed to lead in their countries of origin, where the toxic metal might be less tightly regulated. Exposure to lead is linked to learning and behavioral problems in young children. 2008-01-07

Home Care for Seniors
Despite rising spending, the city has been unable to meet its goals of increasing the amount of non-medical home health care provided for seniors, a new report by the Independent Budget Office says. The city's Department for the Aging administers the service and contracts the work out to private businesses. Based on income and age, seniors either receive free care, split the costs with the government, or pay entirely for the service. Service has declined while growth in spending (which is split between the state and city) has slowed with the introduction of a living wage for the industry's workers, the report says. 2008-01-04

Hunger Among the Elderly
About a third of elderly New Yorkers surveyed for a recent study said they confront "food insecurity" -- the inability to afford or have access to three nutritious meals a day. This far exceeds the national average of 6 percent. Blacks, Hispanics and Asians are more likely than elderly white New Yorkers to worry about paying for food according to the survey by the Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City. The report, "Hunger Hurts: A Study of Hunger Among New York City’s Elderly," offers a number of recommendations to address the problem, including fully funding senior nutrition programs, providing more income supports and opening senior centers seven days a week. 2007-12-14

The Primary Care Reimbursement System
The Primary Care Development Corporation and RSM McGladrey, Inc. released a report last week on the reimbursement system for primary and preventative care providers in New York City. The report finds financial losses for care providers ranging from $28 to $227 per patient visit. Voluntary hospitals lose the most per visit, at $227 per patient, while New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation hospitals lose the second most, at $133 per patient. The current reimbursement system, the report says, is inconsistent and inadequate; lacks transparency; and does not promote positive health outcomes or support high-performing care. 2007-12-12

New York’s Primary Care Reimbursement
A new study by The Primary Care Development Corporation found massive provider financial losses ranging from $28 to as much as $226 per patient visit on primary care delivery and a payment structure that offers widely different compensation often for the same exact services. In an attempt to remain viable, providers scramble to find grants and other revenues to “plug the holes.” 2007-12-10

Hunger in New York
The number of New Yorkers who at times have to rely on soup kitchens and food pantries increased dramatically in 2007, according to the New York Coalition Against Hunger's annual pre-Thanksgiving survey. The coalition estimates that 20 percent more people used such facilities this year, following an 11 percent increase last year. At the same time, food stocks declined, forcing half the programs to ration food. One in six city residents -- about 1.3 million people -- live in households that cannot afford an adequate and consistent supply of food, the report says. 2007-11-21

Curbing the Pigeon Population
Councilmember Simcha Felder released a report that recommends fines for individuals who feed the city's pigeons and suggests that the city consider using birth control to control their numbers. The report contends the pigeon population causes infrastructure damage and poses a public health risk. In addition to banning the feeding of pigeons, Felder also recommends the appointment of a "Pigeon Czar," who would oversee the city's pigeon control programs. The czar would replace the fragmented oversight currently in place, where multiple agencies and departments have jurisdiction. 2007-11-13

Hospitals' Compliance with Protections for Uninsured Patients
A report by the City Council found that while most hospitals comply with a law protecting the rights of uninsured patients, many do not. The law "requires many hospitals in New York to develop a comprehensive financial aid program for uninsured and underinsured patients," and mandates that they educate patients of their rights. 63 percent of the hospitals surveyed posted two or more signs about the law and nearly three-fourths offered information about it over the phone or in person without prompting. 22 percent had no signs and seven percent did not offer verbal information. 2007-11-01

Responding to Diabetes
The City University of New York Campaign Against Diabetes and the Public Health Association of New York City are urging city officials to give New Yorkers better access to healthy food, exercise and preventative health care in a new report that responds to skyrocketing diabetes and obesity rates. In the last decade, the diabetes rate among New Yorkers has increased by 250 percent, and it is the only major cause of death that is still climbing in the city. The report examines the relationship between diabetes and obesity as well as the relationship of diabetes with socioeconomic conditions. The report recommends taxing unhealthy foods, providing incentives for employers to offer workplace exercise programs and increasing funding for Medicaid. 2007-10-30

Minority Health Shows Progress, But Not Enough
A report by the state Department of Health shows progress in reducing health problems in minority groups, but disparities still remain when compared with the entire population. Comparing data from between 2003 and 2004 and figures from a decade earlier, the study found reduced fatality rates for minorities in HIV/AIDS, asthma, cerebrovascular disease, heart disease, male colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer. But the report also found higher rates of childhood obesity among white, black and Hispanic populations and an increase in low birthrate births for all groups except Hispanics. 2007-10-01

Hospitalization, Death Rates Rise in Poor Areas
The rate of hospitalization and death from heart disease, cancer, and diabetes has risen substantially quicker in poor neighborhoods than it has in more affluent ones, according to a new report by the city comptroller. Diabetes has proven worst for disadvantaged neighborhoods, more than doubling in five poor areas while the city wide rate increased 82 percent. But while childhood asthma remains very high for poor neighborhoods, it has plummeted dramatically there. 2007-09-28

Access to Contraceptives for Teens
Less than half of the Health and Hospitals Corporation’s teen health clinics provide emergency contraception for same-day pickup, according to a new report by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. The report found that only 15 out of 38 clinics had the contraception immediately available, and only one location had it available in an advance prescription, despite an announcement in 2005 that all of the facilities would provide them. The Health and Hospitals Corporation disputes the report, contending emergency contraception is easily accessible at all of its facilities. The report recommends the expansion of reproductive education at all of the city’s health sites. 2007-09-25

The City Council’s Federal Agenda
The City Council released its federal agenda yesterday focusing on funding for health care related to the September 11th attacks, affordable housing and health care for children from low-income families. The council is calling for nearly $2 billion in federal funding from 2008 through fiscal year 2012 to track the mental and medical care of World Trade Center workers, as well as for the expansion of health care for others affected by the attacks. The council also urges Congress to adopt protective measures for affordable housing at the risk of foreclosure and grants for the rehabilitation of affordable housing in bad condition. The council is also calling for the reauthorization of a federal and state subsidized health insurance program for children and its subsequent expansion to higher income families. 2007-09-18

Lack of Insurance Barrier to Economic Mobility
"More than 2.7 million of New York’s 19 million residents do not have health insurance. The lack of health insurance is a major barrier for the 1.7 million people in poverty in New York City," says the Community Service Society. The group supports extending state subsidized care to insure those who cannot afford it. 2007-09-14

Teenagers and Contraceptives
Sexually active teenagers in New York City are more likely to use condoms than teenagers in the country as a whole, but less likely to use birth control pills. A new report by the health department finds that only 4 percent of sexually active teens use dual protection (condoms and another method), compared to 8 percent nationwide. In 2005, the year covered by the report, the New York City pregnancy rate for girls aged 15 to 19 was 94 per 1,000. Nationally, the rate was 76 per 1,000 in 2002, the most recent year for which U.S. statistics are available. 2007-08-30

State Paid Medicaid Claims for Deceased Patients
The state paid nearly $10 million for home care and transportation services that were likely not provided. In some instances, reimbursement claims listed services for hospitalized or deceased patients, according to two audits by the state comptroller. 2007-08-29

Employed New Yorkers Without Health Insurance
One million New Yorkers – some 17 percent of the adult population – lacked coverage in 2005, according to a new health department report, and 700,000 of them were employed. 2007-08-23

City Drinking Water Tunnel At Risk
The Delaware Aqueduct System - which supplies more than half of the city's drinking water - is leaking and in need of accelerated repair, a new audit by the state comptroller has found. Although the city jas been aware of the issue, the audit points out, it has not taken adequate steps to repair the pipe, nor has it developed an emergency response plan to deal with a potential collapse. 2007-08-16

NYC Second to Last in Big City School Breakfast Participation
Despite the significant progress that New York City public schools achieved by making school breakfast available universally to all students regardless of family income, New York has the second lowest participation rate out of 23 large American cities, according to a new study by the Food Research Action Center (FRAC). The study credits New York with great progress, but suggests ways to improve. 2007-08-09

Heath Services for 9/11 Responders
A new report by the federal Government Accountability Office finds continuing problems with medical services for responders who worked at Ground Zero immediately after the 9/11 attacks. The report concludes that screening services have been interrupted, that assistance has not been provided to responders living outside the New York City area and that the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health “does not have a reliable cost estimate of serving responders.” The report recommends that the Department of Health and Human Services “expeditiously ensure that screening and monitoring services” be made available. 2007-07-25

Possible Impacts in the Outer-Boroughs
Although Mayor Michael Bloomberg says his congestion pricing plan is integral to creating a more environmentally friendly and sustainable city, a report issued this week by Councilmember David Weprin contends the plan merely shifts environmental and health impacts to outer-borough neighborhoods outside of the congestion pricing zone. According to the report, “because areas with the highest incidence of asthma are generally the same areas with the greatest number of mass transit riders, it therefore follows that affected neighborhoods will be subjected to an even greater health risk should congestion pricing be implemented.” If mass transit alternatives are not accessible, the report warns, drivers would park in areas outside of the congestion zone and consequently increase traffic there. 2007-07-19

Extreme Heat and Your Health
The New York City Office of Emergency Management offers safety information for the heat wave and locations of the city's 290 cooling centers. 2007-07-10

Housing for People with HIV/AIDS
An audit of the city's HIV/AIDS Services Administration by Comptroller William Thompson finds that the agency fails to adequately process client applications for permanent housing and requests for financial assistance. HASA provides social, financial, and vocational services to eligible individuals and families, as well as housing assistance, including permanent and transitional housing, to those who are homeless or potentially homeless. 2007-07-06

Marketplace of Ideas
The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy's Marketplace of Ideas brings policymakers from around the country to New York City to speak about their policy success, its impact, and their on-the-ground experience getting the policy enacted. They engage with an expert panel of New Yorkers, including city and state legislators, advocates, business representatives, religious leaders, and academics, to further discuss the policy and its implications for New York City and State. 2007-06-04

Access to Prenatal Care
Women face significant barriers when trying to access basic prenatal care from Health and Hospitals Corporation facilities, according to a new report from Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. The report, Hurdles to a Healthy Baby, finds that two-thirds of HHC facilities do not offer weekend or evening appointments and more than 70 percent of facilities require women to make in-person visits before ever meeting with a physician. 2007-06-01

Emergency Contraception: Available Now
Women in New York City now have greater access to emergency contraception than ever before, according to a report by the New York City Council. The survey found that since the change in federal policy, access to emergency contraception in New York City has increased to an unprecedented 94 percent. However, access is still limited for women under 18, low-income women and undocumented residents. 2007-05-23

New York
The Environmental Protection Agency released a draft "Filtration Avoidance Determination," which names New York City as one of only five large cities in the country with drinking water that does not need traditional purification. The city has agreed to spend $300 million over the next 10 years to acquire undeveloped land in the watershed as a means of protection. In addition, the city is constructing a facility to provide water disinfection using ultraviolet light to maintain the quality of drinking water. 2007-04-17

Traffic and Health Problems
Over two million New Yorkers live within 500 feet of a major roadway, putting them at risk for pollution-related health problems, according to this report by Environmental Defense. "All Choked Up: Heavy Traffic, Dirty Air, and the Risk to New Yorkers" sums up the science of these risks, and suggests some solutions. 2007-03-29

Unsanitary Conditions In NYC Restaurants
A report by New York State Senate Minority Leader Jeff Klein looks at the inspection records of 700 restaurants that are now listed by the city Department of Health as not being in compliance with sanitation standards. It also recommends that the state give grade restaurants A through F for sanitary conditions and require them to post their grades so consumers will know what to expect. 2007-03-26

Fewer Female Smokers in NYC
Smoking is down sharply among New York City women, according to data released by the Health Department. The number of female smokers has fallen by 123,000 in New York City, down from 20 percent in 2002 to 16 percent in 2005. The decline in female smoking was greatest among women who are white, 18 to 24 years old, and living in Manhattan. The information is from the 2005 Community Health Survey, a survey of 10,000 adults in all five boroughs. 2007-03-23

HPV Vaccine Availability
This report by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum finds the health department offering few vaccines against the human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, even though the federal Centers for Disease Control recommends vaccinations for females ages 11 to 26), and the virus is responsible for 70 percent of the cases of cervical cancer. None of the department of health’s 11 walk-in clinics for sexually transmitted diseases, for example, were found to offer the vaccine. 2007-03-20

Addressing the Health Impacts of 9/11
A panel created by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to consider how to address the health impacts of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center yesterday issued a report with 15 recommendations. It suggests that the city seeks $150 million a year from the federal government for health programs for people with 9/11 related illnesses and calls for a Victim Compensation Fund to deal with claims of sickness or death relating to the attacks. The report found that that 681,000 people exposed to dust from the destruction of the World Trade Center need medical monitoring and care that could cost at least $393 million a year. 2007-02-14

Anti-Smoking Efforts
New York gets high grades for its anti-tobacco laws in an annual report of all 50 states by the American Lung Association, “State of Tobacco Control: 2006,” ranking second in the nation, behind only Maine. The report puts the economic costs due to smoking in New York at more than $12 billion a year. (In California it’s more than $15 billion). Some 16 percent of high school students in New York smoke. There are some 260 deaths attributable to smoking per 100,000 population in the state. (Maine has 303; Utah, 145) The $1.50 state tax on a pack of cigarettes is just the 14th highest in the country. (New Jersey’s is over a dollar more). 2007-01-09

Hospital Closings and Emergency Rooms
Five proposed hospital closings could overwhelm emergency rooms, lead to increase in ambulance response times, and force New Yorkers to travel farther for emergency medical attention, according to this report by city Comptroller William Thompson. The commission that recommended the closings did not fully examine related to emergency rooms, focusing instead on inpatient services, the report claims. 2006-12-22

Health-Care Careers
Between now and 2012, New York City will have about 7,600 job vacancies a year for health-care jobs that do not require a four-year college degree. But according to a report by the Office of the Public Advocate, the city Department of Education is not doing enough to prepare students for these careers. During the 2004-05 school year, only 1,254 students were enrolled in state-approved technical education for jobs in health care. Further, the report says, many of the courses that do exist do not address the real needs of the health-care industry. 2006-12-13

Caesarean Sections
New York State is not making sure that hospitals report the number of caesarean sections they perform as is required by law, according to this report by the city public advocate's office. Caesarean sections make up an increasing percentage of births in New York City; 28.6 percent of births in 2004 were caesarean deliveries, almost twice the 15 percent maximum rate recommended by the World Health Organization. New York City’s rate is still lower than the national average, however. 2006-12-07

Hospital Commission Report
The work of the state's Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century has been described by critics and supporters alike as the biggest overhaul of the state's health care system ever. Its final report calls for the closure of five hospitals in New York City and the restructuring of 10 more. The commission also calls for a series of policy changes dealing with issues such as Medicaid and the uninsured. 2006-11-29

Hospital Closings And NYC's Health Care Crisis
Over the past decade 14 hospitals (or significant units within hospitals) in New York City have shut down, and seven more are in bankruptcy proceedings. In anticipation of a report by a state commission (the Berger Commission) calling for more hospital closings, the New York City Council’s Taskforce on Hospital Closings has issued a report entitled A Prescription For New York City’s Health Care Crisis, which gives an overview of the problems (such as “years of poorly planned expansions” and “the rapidly changing nature of health care”), makes recommendations for improvement (such as greater regulation of Health Maintenance Organizations, requiring them to give back a portion of their profits to the communities they serve) and gives 11 pieces of advice to the state commission (number 5. “Consider the impact of hospital closings on the local economy.”) 2006-11-22

Uninsured Children
The Number of Uninsured Children rose for the first time in a decade between 2004 and 2005, according to this report by the Children's Defense Fund. It details the problem and offers a solution. 2006-11-16

Health Profiles Of 42 NYC Neighborhoods
The New York City Department of Health And Mental Hygiene has released its "2006 New York City Community Health Profiles," which offers a look at the health of 42 neighborhoods, accessible by zip code, by borough, and by 10 major health issues. For example, the neighborhood with the largest percentage of obese residents is East New York, Brooklyn (31 percent); the small percentage of obese residents is on the Upper East Side and Gramercy (eight percent). Greenwich Village, Soho and Tribeca (which are grouped together) have among the lowest annual death rates in the city (a rate that decreased 20 percent over the past decade), but the highest rate of child lead poisoning in the city, and residents of these three neighborhoods were more than 60 percent more likely to engage in binge drinking in any given month than New Yorkers overall. 2006-10-31

Rx Price Disparities in NYC
Prices for identical prescription drugs continue to vary widely among New York City's pharmacies, according to this report, a follow-up to an investigation the New York City Council conducted in 2004. Among the recommendations are that the state department of health create a Web site that lists the prices of the 150 most prescribed drugs at every pharmacy in New York. This is already required by law, but isn't being done. 2006-10-27

Access-A-Ride's High Cost
The cost of running Access-A-Ride, the transit authority's door-to-door transportation service for the city's disabled, more than doubled from 2000 to 2005 and is now one of the agency's fastest-growing expenses (though still a comparatively small portion of the total budget), according to this report by the Independent Budget Office. 2006-10-06

Success on Health Insurance, But Fiscal Worries Ahead
New York was the only state in the country to register a significant drop in the number of people without health care coverage over the last five years. This success is based largely on the government's attempts to enroll people in public health plans, says this report from the Fiscal Policy Institute, noting that the percentage of New Yorkers who receive health insurance through work is dropping. But the system of health insurance in this country remains inefficient and expensive. 2006-09-29

Linking Deaths to Ground Zero
The federal National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has released a draft of guidelines that would help determine whether first responders at the World Trade Center site died because of toxins released by the collapse of the Twin Towers. The guidelines set a high standard for establishing such a link, saying “Data does not yet exist to quantify relationships between WTC exposures and diseases causing death," but the federal agency cautioned that the current document is only a draft released to get feedback. 2006-09-20

Health Problems Related to 9/11
Mount Sinai has conducted the widest review of health problems related to 9/11, releasing its report last week. Seventy percent of the 10,000 Ground Zero workers the center tested between 2002 and 2004 reported respiratory problems while working at the site. Of those, 60 percent have had persistent respiratory problems. 2006-09-08

Mammogram Delays
Access to free or low-cost mammograms at the city’s public hospitals is delayed by bureaucratic obstacles, according to this report from the office of Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. Experts agree that annual mammograms for women 40 and older is the most effective method of detecting breast cancer in its early stages, when treatment is most likely to be successful. 2006-09-05

Teenage Girls and Cigarettes
A number of things encourage teenage girls to smoke, according to a new report by the city’s health department. While only 11 percent of teens smoke, 35 percent of white teenage girls do – more than the percentage of boys or of black or Hispanic girls. In the study, the girls said that cigarettes make them look rebellious and sophisticated. They also see smoking as a way to deal with stress and depression and worry that, if they quit smoking, they will gain weight. 2006-08-11

Immigrant Health
New immigrants are in better health than native New Yorkers by some indicators, this report by the city's health department finds. But the longer immigrants stay here, the more health problems they develop. 2006-07-24

Progress Report: Take Care New York
More New Yorkers have regular doctors, fewer are smoking and dying of alcohol or drug-related causes, and fewer children suffer from lead poisoning, finds this city-released report measuring the progress of its Take Care New York public health policy. 2006-06-23

Pollution and Child Development
Prenatal exposure to pollutants from car, truck or bus engines, heating, power generation, and tobacco smoke can adversely affect child development. A study of children in Washington Heights, Central Harlem and the South Bronx found that those whose mothers had been exposed to high levels of urban air pollutants during pregnancy had lower scores on mental development tests and more than double the risk of developmental delay. Previous studies have shown that air pollutants can reduce fetal growth, but, according to Columbia University’s school of public health, which conducted the study, this is the first one to reveal that city pollutants can also affect cognitive development. 2006-05-31

Trauma of 9/11 Unhealed
Grief and anxiety from 9/11 still disrupts the lives of many who lost loved ones, were injured or responded to the terror attacks, according to a new study by the American Red Cross. Among people who received mental health services, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said grief continued to "interfere" with their lives to a "large" or "moderate" extent. 2006-05-26

Problems at Health Clinics
City-run clinics set up to diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, were often unable to provide medical attention, according a report from Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. The report found doctors were unavailable at seven of the city’s ten clinics after 3 p.m., rapid HIV testing was unavailable at three clinics, STD screening was unavailable at two clinics, and no services were available at the East Harlem clinic. 2006-05-08

AIDS Services: Inequitable?
A $471 million contract to provide services to New Yorkers with AIDS has done so "in an inequitable fashion...financially and geographically disproportionate to the number of individuals across the city who have been affected,” City Comptroller William Thompson charges in an analysis presented in the form of a letter to Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden. For example, no subcontracts for "supportive counseling and family stabilization services" were awarded in Brooklyn or Queens, even though together they have about 38 percent of the AIDS/HIV cases. 2006-05-02

9/11 Health Effects
People who fled on from buildings destroyed or damaged in the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, told interviewers in 2003 and 2004 that they continued to experience substantial physical and mental health problems. According to the report, based on information from the World Trade Center Health Registry, more than half of the 8,500 building survivors in the survey reported experiencing new or worsening respiratory symptoms, and almost all evacuees from the damaged or collapsed buildings said they witnessed at least one traumatic event, such as observing people who were injured, killed or falling or jumping from the trade center towers. 2006-04-10

Overcharging the Uninsured
Hospitals in New York charge uninsured patients almost two and a half times what it costs to treat them, according to this report by Citizen Action New York. Patients without health insurance end up paying higher rates out of their own pockets than insurance companies do when people they cover get the same type of care. 2006-03-17

Teen Smoking
Only about one in 10 New York City high school students now smoke cigarettes, according to a survey by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department of Education. This represents a 36 percent drop since 2001 and a 52 percent decline since 1997. The report attributes the drop to a sharp increase in cigarette taxes and to educational programs. 2006-03-14

Brooklyn's Produce Shortage
Fresh fruits and vegetables can be hard to find in North and Central Brooklyn, according to a health department report. About 80 percent of the food stores in the area, which includes Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick, are bodegas. Only a third of those bodegas carry low-fat milk and fewer than a third stock fresh apples, oranges and bananas. About 30 percent of adults in the community are obese, the report says noting, "the availability, price and quality of neighborhood food would have a strong impact on healthy diet." 2006-02-20

Health And Death Among The Homeless
Homeless men are more than twice as likely to die of cancer than adult New Yorkers as a whole, twice as likely to have AIDS, are hospitalized disproportionately, and are 11 times more likely to have tuberculosis. These are some of the findings in "The Health of Homeless Adults In New York City," a report from the New York City Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene and of Homeless Services, which includes recommendations to improve the health of the homeless (defined as those who have spent at least one day in a shelter). 2006-01-31

Lower-Priced Lead-Paint Law
In January, 2004, the City Council passed a law, over Mayor Michael Bloomberg's veto, that toughened lead paint regulations. Now, after one full year of the new rules, the law didn't cost taxpayers nearly as much as Bloomberg thought it would, according to a brief from the Independent Budget Office. The housing department paid $24.6 million in fiscal year 2005 on lead-based paint education, inspections and remediation, which was more than double the same spending in 2004 but far less than the Bloomberg administration feared. Violations and emergency repairs shot up, too. 2006-01-23

City Deaths, Births at Low Levels
The Summary of Vital Statistics 2004 is a series of tables listing births, marriages, deaths and infant mortality. Deaths reached a historic low of 7.2 per 1,000 residents, including a significant drop in the number of deaths due to heart disease. Births are also near historic lows 2006-01-06

New York and Obesity
In time for the holidays, the Department of Health has released a new study on obesity in New York. The city reports that 3.2 million New Yorkers are overweight or obese. Only a quarter of the city’s residents engage in physical activity at least 30 minutes a day, four times a week. However, when asked how overweight they are, only 39 percent of obese New Yorkers say they are “very overweight.” 2005-11-28

Mexican Health Campaign Fact Sheet
This short fact sheet gives an overview of the results of a survey of the health of Mexican immigrants conducted by New York University’s Center for Community Problem Solving. Almost all of those surveyed were undocumented immigrants without health insurance. Over one third reported going “nowhere” for health care. (in .pdf format) 2005-11-18

Health Insurance Coverage in New York
This snapshot of the uninsured in New York City, published by the United Hospital Fund, describes the characteristics of the uninsured by income, employment status, and age. It also examines trends over time and estimates the number of uninsured New Yorkers who are eligible for public health insurance. It uses data from 2002 and 2003. 2005-11-11

Cardiovascular Disease in New York
The New York State Department of Health has released a report that tracks cardiovascular disease in the state and rates how well 37 hospitals treat the problem. Statewide the mortality rate is 1.61 deaths for every 100 patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery, down from the average of 2.27 percent in 2002. University Hospital of Brooklyn had the highest adjusted mortality rate in the state with 4.46 deaths for every 100 bypass procedures. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death in New York State, killing more than 70,000 residents each year. 2005-11-10

Preventing AIDS
The New York City Commission on HIV/AIDS has issued its final report on how to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS. While citing significant accomplishments – including a 75 percent decrease in the number of deaths from AIDS since 1994 – the commission says more needs to be done. Among its many recommendations, the commission calls for making condoms more widely available, expanding prevention programs among people who engage in risky behavior, and improving AIDS education in the schools. 2005-11-09

Low-Income New Yorkers
Health care is the biggest worry for poor New Yorkers, according to “The Unheard Third,” the Community Service Society’s annual survey of low-income city residents. The report found that incidences of hardship, such as falling behind in the rent, increased greatly among poor New Yorkers this year, with 70 percent of the working poor having experienced three or more such difficulties, compared with 39 percent in last year’s survey. The society attributes this partly to the lack of health insurance among many poor New Yorkers. 2005-10-26

Performance of Managed Care Health Plan
The state Department of Health finds in this report that New York health plans lead the nation in performance and consumer satisfaction. It also finds that more pregnant women have access to prenatal care and more patients with diabetes are accessing comprehensive care to help them manage their illness. State Health Commissioner Antonia Novello said the information collected "is a clear indication that Governor Pataki's health care programs are working." 2005-10-17

Monitoring the Health of 9/11 Workers
The U.S. government program to monitor the health of federal workers who responded to the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks “has accomplished little,” according to a study by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigating agency. The report looks at three federally funded monitoring programs for 9/11 workers and says that those for city, state and private workers have made progress. But, it says, the one for U.S. government employees screened only 394 of the estimated 10,000 federal workers who responded to the disaster and has not screened anyone since March 2004. 2005-09-14

Obese New Yorkers
More than one out of every five New Yorkers is obese, according to a report by Trust in America’s Health. “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2005” ranks New York State 34th in the U.S. in highest rate of adult obesity, at 21.2 percent. 2005-08-27

City's AIDS Services Caseload Growth Slows
Changing trends in the AIDS epidemic have translated into an AIDS services caseload that, while it still gets larger year by year, is growing at a slower rate, according to this report from the Independent Budget Office. The slower growth in the caseload, however, has not resulted in a corresponding slowdown in the growth rate for expenditures for such services. 2005-08-12

Too Many C-Section Births
A report by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum found that the percentage of cesarean sections, or c-sections, performed at public and private city hospitals is twice the recommended average. At one hospital, nearly 40 percent of all deliveries are performed via c-section. C-sections, the report says, are a lucrative, time-saving procedure, so there may be a temptation to perform them even if they are not necessary. The investigation also found that none of the city's hospitals could provide current information about c-section rates and other maternity care statistics, as required by state law. 2005-07-14

Keeping Track of New York City's Children
Health and safety conditions for New York’s children have improved in the past year, according to a new report by the Citizens Committee for Children of New York. But most of the city’s black and Latino children still live in poverty, and education remains a challenge in neighborhoods where as many as two-thirds of all students do not meet state standards in reading and math. 2005-04-11

Hunger in New York
Almost half of all New Yorkers eligible to receive food stamps are not receiving them, according to a recent City Council report. The report says that information about Food Stamps is often not available, and that people who might be eligible for the program often face long waits and other obstacles to applying. 2005-03-15

Diesel and Health in America: The Lingering Threat
Thanks mostly to truck and bus traffic, New York State leads the nation in premature deaths because of diesel pollution, according to a report issued by the Washington-based Clean Air Task Force. The study estimates 2,332 New Yorkers per year die prematurely from breathing tiny particles, or soot, from diesel engines. An estimated 1,767 are residents of New York City, and another 182 are Long Islanders. Read the executive summary on the group's website... 2005-02-24

Preliminary Mayor's Management Report for Fiscal Year 2005
The Preliminary Mayor's Management Report for Fiscal Year 2005, according to City Hall, "provides an early update of how the City is performing four months into the fiscal year," offering "performance highlights and statistics for agencies, as well as data on inquiries received by the 311 Citizen Service Center." Also, Search by agency 2005-02-15

Getting In The Door: Language Barriers To Health Services In NYC Hospitals
New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. issued a report finding that New Yorkers whose primary language is not English encounter significant barriers navigating the city's complicated health care system, with nearly 75 percent of hospitals surveyed failing to provide Spanish-language services to callers to one or more departments. 2005-01-12

New Yorkers and Health Insurance
The percentage of New Yorkers who receive health insurance from their employers has fallen in the past several years, according to a report from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. As a result, taxpayers have to pick up more of the costs of health care services for low-wage workers and their families. 2004-12-15