Research Identifies Bronx “Hotspots” With High Childhood Asthma Rates, Poor Housing Quality

November 2, 2019 Kevin Deutsch Health, Housing, Poverty 0

A troubling new report identifies several Bronx “hotspots” where poor housing quality, pediatric asthma, and Medicaid enrollment overlap in the borough.

The maps, contained in the report Healthier Homes, Healthier Childhoods: How Medicaid Can Address the Housing Conditions Contributing to Pediatric Asthma, show Hunts Point and Longwood have some of the highest rates of asthma diagnoses among children on Medicaid, as well as higher rates of home maintenance problems, exposure to cockroaches, and health care use related to childhood asthma.

“It has been well-demonstrated that the lack of stable housing can have a powerful impact on health, but the quality of housing also has considerable health effects,” said Misha Sharp, senior research analyst for United Hospital Fund and a co-author of the report.

The maps in the report are based on data in the 2018 NYC Community Health Profiles and the NYC Neighborhood Health Atlas, both produced by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

About Kevin Deutsch 265 Articles

Kevin Deutsch is a Staff Writer for Bronx Justice News covering the criminal justice system, drugs, and DNA use by law enforcement. An award-winning journalist, Deutsch is the author of the true crime books "Pill City" and "The Triangle." He has worked on staff at the Daily News, Miami Herald, Newsday, The Palm Beach Post, and The Riverdale Press. His work has also appeared in Newsweek, Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Forward, The Independent, Huffington Post, Orlando Sentinel, and the New York Post, among other publications. His numerous television appearances include spots on CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN's BookTV. He has also been featured in The New Yorker. A Bronx resident, Deutsch hosts the true crime podcast "A Dark Turn" on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network.