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New Report Highlights Health Of Canarsie/Flatlands Area
Over the coming months, DOHMH will meet with community organizations, medical providers, community boards, and elected officials to present the profiles and discuss health issues that each community is facing. New Yorkers can also get the complete profile on Canarsie/Flatlands by checking out "My Community's Health" at http://www.nyc.gov/health and also find the complete set of 42 Community Health Profiles. "These reports put a magnifying glass on the health of our city," said Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas R. Frieden. "Our city is getting healthier, but we still see large differences among neighborhoods. By pinpointing health issues and illustrating gaps in health, we can focus our efforts where they are needed the most. We are putting this information into the hands of partners in the community who work to improve health in their neighborhoods." Key findings below show disparities in preventable illness and death: +While the overall smoking rate in NYC fell to 18 percent in 2004, smoking rates of greater than 30 percent persist in most Staten Island neighborhoods, including Mariner's Harbor, New Springville, Travis, Willowbrook, South Beach, and Tottenville. +Overall the death rate due to HIV-related disease has dropped dramatically in the past decade. However, the HIV-related death rate is higher in the Bronx than in other boroughs, largely due to very high rates within a few neighborhoods. +Serious psychological distress (associated with depression and other mental illnesses) is reported by 6% of all New York City adults. However, in the Central Bronx, Fordham and Bronx Park, 10% of adults suffer from serious psychological distress. +Binge drinking - consuming 5 or more drinks on one occasion - is most common in higher income neighborhoods. In Chelsea, Clinton, Gramercy Park, Murray Hill, Greenwich Village, and Soho in Manhattan, more than 20 percent of adults report binge drinking, compared with 14 percent of New Yorkers overall. +Health insurance coverage varies widely by neighborhood. Less than 20 percent of New Yorkers overall do not have health insurance. +In Southwest Brooklyn (including Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, and Dyker Heights), residents were more likely to report having a regular doctor in 2004 than in 2002 (86% vs. 74%). To focus on areas that bear the greatest burden of illness and deaths, and to reduce inequalities, DOHMH established District Public Health Offices (DPHO) in East and Central Harlem, North and Central Brooklyn, and the South Bronx. These offices, opened in 2003, coordinate targeted programs and inform the communities about health issues and health services available to them. "It is unacceptable that residents of Central Brooklyn suffer from higher rates of illness than other New Yorkers," said Dr. Adam Karpati, Assistant Commissioner for the Brooklyn District Public Health Office. "To get at the root of the problem we focus our efforts on the larger issues, such as access to health care, promoting healthy living, and reducing social and economic disadvantage. By taking a big-picture approach, we are changing health in the neighborhood for the better." For these reports, DOHMH used neighborhood definitions developed by the United Hospital Fund, a non-profit organization in New York City. The reports cover 42 areas, defined by aggregated zip codes. Most of the data come from the DOHMH Community Health Survey, an annual, random-digit-dial telephone survey of approximately 10,000 adults conducted each year in New York City. Other data sources include the New York State Department of Health Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS), which provides hospitalization data in New York City, and DOHMH Vital Records information (birth and death data). To learn more about health in a neighborhood, visit nyc.gov/health or call 3-1-1 for hard copies of Community Health Profiles. | |||||
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