February 13, 2012 · www.gothamgazette.com

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An Outer Borough Drought  (July 2009)  Gotham Gazette and Huffington Post asked readers how easy it was to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Those of you in affluent areas of Manhattan say veggies are ripe for the picking, but pockets in the outer boroughs are still struggling to get fresh produce.

Public Hospitals in Critical Condition  (May 2009)  Four clinics are set to shut, four mental health programs in New York City public schools won't be around next year, and three satellite pharmacies are about to fill their last prescriptions.

A Food Policy for New York  (March 2009)  While the city tries to come up with ways to curb obesity and diabetes, one official proposes an overall food policy.

The Candidates' Prescriptions  (October 2008)  With most Americans worried about health insurance, McCain and Obama suggest very different cures. What would the plans mean for New Yorkers?

After 7 Years, Breathing Ailments Persist  (September 2008)  

Those Restaurant Calorie Counts: Too Good to Be True?  (August 2008)  Too good to be true? Yes, it is. The city requires chain restaurants to post calorie contents but does little to insure that the numbers reflect the fatty facts instead of dieters' fantasies.

Rating Health Care Behind Bars  (June 2008)  The city recently renewed its contract with the company that provides health care on Riker's Island -- even though the provider has repeatedly failed to meet the city's own standards.

Creating Healthy Bodegas  (March 2008)  The city would like small grocery stores to stock apples and lettuce, along with beer and chips. While everyone agrees on it's good to eat fresh produce, not everyone has embraced the health department's efforts.

Barred Medicine: Health Care on Rikers Island  (February 2008)  The city just renewed a private company's contract to provide medical help on Rikers Island. Is that care adequate for such a transient and, in some respects, vulnerable population?

Language Barriers at the Drugstore  (February 2008)  Many pharmacies do not provide translation services, creating a health risk for people who do not speak English.

Grading the City's Public Hospitals  (October 2007)  New data on the city’s 11 public hospitals indicate the quality of care is equivalent to that at private hospitals, but even at city-owned hospitals, people in poor areas do not fare as well as those from richer neighborhoods.

Insuring New York's Children   (September 2007)  New regulations proposed by the Bush administration leave some wondering whether many New York City children will be left without health care.

Aging with AIDS  (August 2007)  Now that drug cocktails are keeping people with AIDS alive for decades, health providers and others must educate and treat a group many thought they would never see: older people with HIV and AIDS.

Access to the HPV Vaccine in NYC  (July 2007)  A new--and expensive--vaccine could prevent thousands of fatal cases of cervical cancer. Is the shot getting to the young women in New York who need it most?

NYC V. Fast Food  (March 2007)  From rats to fats, city officials are battling the unhealthy ways of the fast food industry.

In Danger: Men At Work  (March 2007)  As the construction industry booms, its workers face increasing peril, leaving city and state officials looking for ways to respond.

Charting New York’s Health  (January 2007)  Which New York City neighborhood has the most binge drinking? Which the highest rate of obesity? Which the most deaths from heart disease? The answers are in the health department’s Community Health Profiles. Cari Olson of the health department explains what the numbers tell us and how citizens can use them.

Health Problems Among Caribbean Immigrants  (January 2007)  Caribbean women immigrants are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stages of cervical cancer than black women born in the States. Experts say a lack of funds and serious cultural barriers prevent Caribbean women immigrants from getting gynecological checkups.

Twin Crises In Health Care  (December 2006)  New York State is trying to save its hospital system from financial collapse, while also finding a way to provide health care tothe millions of New Yorkers who are going without.

The Challenge of Eating Healthy  (November 2006)  New Yorkers go to the world's most famous grocery stores to shop for Thanksgiving dinners. For others, there isn't a single store in sight.

Obesity, Asthma, and Public Health: What Can Planners Do?  (November 2006)  Tom Angotti explores how urban planning – better building codes and zoning codes -- could create a healthier environment. For example: “the Zoning Resolution restricts the location of sex shops in the city, so it could also limit the location of fast food outlets, keeping them away from schools.”

Hospital Communication  (October 2006)  New regulations attempt to tackle the barriers to communication in hospitals.

9/11 Health: Help at Last?  (September 2006)  After five years of inaction, everybody is suddenly talking about 9/11-related health problems. Can officials make up for lost time, or is this too little too late?

Who Decides When The Patient Can't?   (June 2006)  For the 14th year in a row, the legislature could not pass a bill giving New Yorkers the right to make medical decisions for incapacitated family member.

Health Insurance -- Looking For A Model  (May 2006)  As they develop policy here to address the widespread lack of health insurance, New York officials have been watching more ambitious plans in other states, especially Massachusett's plan for "near-universal health coverage."

Diabetes in NYC  (March 2006)  The Bloomberg administration is taking some unprecedented steps to curb the one major health problem that is getting worse in the city -- diabetes.

A One-Two Punch To Hospitals: The Proposed Federal and State Budgets  (February 2006)  If Governor George Pataki and President George W. Bush have their way with the state and federal budgets, health advocates fear, NYC hospitals will be sent over the brink.

The Heroes Of 9/11 Are Getting Sick  (January 2006)  More than 20 Ground Zero rescue workers may have died from illnesses related to working in the rubble, Josh Brustein writes, but "public officials have had little success tracking their health, much less treating them."

Bird Flu  (November 2005)  Properly cooked bird meat cannot carry the avian flu. But health experts worry about the possibility that the flu could mutate so that it could be spread between humans, a concern that has New York City officials debating what the city could and should do.

Providing Fresh Food, and a Sense of Accomplishment  (November 2005)  The East New York Farms! Farmers' Market has expanded from a single stand in 1999 to a bustling weekly event. Now its organizers look to take the next step. (Read More...)

Saving Money -- And Saving Patients -- With Technology  (October 2005)  Hospitals are looking to technology to help them cut costs. But while so-called health information exchanges have the potential to save money, some also worry that they may compromise patient confidentiality.

Campaign 2005: Expanding Access to Health Care  (September 2005)  The winner of this year's mayoral election will have to face the major challenge of expanding access to health to those New Yorkers who are unserved by the current system.

Making Medicaid Cheaper  (August 2005)  The program covers 4 million New Yorkers and costs billions. Can we cut Medicaid spending -- and still protect the health of all New Yorkers?

AIDS In New York City   (March 2005)  After a brief flurry of attention last month, AIDS has once again faded from the consciousness of most New Yorkers. But major issues of the epidemic remain unresolved.

The Flu – An Ironic Season  (January 2005)  Before the flu season began, health officials were worried about a shortage of flu vaccine. Now, there is enough supply for New Yorkers at “high risk” – but not enough demand.

The World Trade Center Health Registry  (December 2004)  More than a year after city and federal officials launched the World Trade Center Health Registry, a survey of people exposed to Ground Zero, there are some concrete findings about the health complaints among the tens of thousands of participants – and perhaps as many complaints about the survey itself.

Food Borne Illnesses  (August 2004)  Sue Wilson looks at food-borne illnesses.

Andtidepressants and Children  (June 2004)  Are antidepressants safe and effective for children and teens? Sue Wilson detail a recent study and a lawsuit against one drug manufacturer by the State of New York.

Smokers Quitting  (May 2004)  More smokers have quit faster in New York City than ever before anywhere else in the nation. Sue Wilson offers an explanation.

“Take Care New York” New Health Program; Old Diseases  (April 2004)  Sue Wilson details the “most detailed and comprehensive health policy ever developed for the city.” Meanwhile, syphilis and tuberculosis make a comeback.

Homeless Children and Asthma  (March 2004)  Half of all homeless children in NYC shelters show some symptoms of asthma, according to a newly released study.

Death In New York City  (February 2004)  Deaths in New York City hit an all-time low in 2002, and New Yorkers' life expectancy increased. Sue Wilson explains why -- and what the almost 60,000 New Yorkers who did die, died from.

The New Medicare Law - Will It Help or Hurt?  (January 2004)  Sue Young Wilson tries to sort out the intricacies of the new federal Medicare law, with its prescription drug coverage, and what the likely effect will be on elderly New Yorkers.

Flu  (December 2003)  Yes, writes Sue Wilson, it's the flu season again.

Mentally Ill, Chemically Addicted - And Stuck In Jail  (November 2003)  Sue Wilson reports on a lawsuit that says mentally ill parolees with substance abuse problems, approved for release, instead languish on for months in New York jails, waiting for unavailable treatment slots.

A Push For A National Health Service?  (October 2003)  Some 18,000 Americans die every year because of inadequate health insurance. In New York State, there are more than 3 million people without insurance, most of them in New York City, and the numbers are on the rise. That is why, reports Sue Wilson, there is a new push – from a group of doctors - for a national health service.

World Trade Center Health Registry  (September 2003)  The city's health department has announced plans for what could become the largest public-health investigation ever: a comprehensive survey to follow over the next 20 years the health of those people most directly exposed to 9/11's World Trade Center collapse and the subsequent clean-up efforts. 

Obesity  (August 2003)  Almost a quarter of all children in NYC public elementary schools are obese, significantly higher than the national rate, according to an alarming new study. Sue Wilson reports what the school system is trying to do about it.

Court Overturns Current Lead-Paint Law  (July 2003)  Sue Wilson writes about the decision by the state’s highest court to strike down the city’s current lead-paint law, giving a new chance to one that has gone nowhere for more than a year.

How the 2004 Budget Is Shaking Out for Health Care  (June 2003)  Sue Wilson looks at the budget items restored in health care, and the cuts that are still scheduled to take effect.

Survey of Emotional Distress  (May 2003)  Sue Young Wilson reports on the findings of the first-ever survey by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene of New Yorkers' "emotional distress."

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome  (April 2003)  Seven New Yorkers, ranging from a one-year-old boy to a 91-year-old woman, have caught the mysterious illness from Asia known as SARS, for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. All are recovering - as are Chinatown restaurants, which were recently the victims of an unfounded SARS scare. Sue Wilson explains what is known about the disease that suddenly has struck 19 countries and killed about a hundred people.

Diabetes  (March 2003)  The rate of obesity-related diabetes has doubled in NYC adults in the last eight years, making it the sixth leading cause of death in the city. But it is even worse for children. Maia Szalavitz interviews one pediatrician in the Bronx who is trying to do something about it.

Health Care Changes Could Hurt New York  (February 2003)  New state and federal proposals for funding health care and for providing medical care to the poor and aged offer a lot of bad news for New York City.

Smallpox Vaccine  (January 2003)  This month New York City will receive the first doses of smallpox vaccine as part of a campaign initiated by the new federal Department of Homeland Security. But, Maia Szalavitz writes, the campaign raises many questions, including: How safe is smallpox vaccination? How likely it is that smallpox will be used as a biological weapon?

The Brooklyn Mental Health Court  (November 2002)  "Around 3,000 severely mentally ill people are incarcerated at Riker's Island on any given day, making it in effect the city's largest psychiatric hospital," Maia Szalavitz writes. "But a new court which began operating in October in Brooklyn hopes to start to change that."