Talk Bronx New York

Bronx children with asthma are treated at Lincoln Hospital. A study found the borough to be the least-healthiest place to live in all of New York State.

 The bodega-riddled Bronx is the unhealthiest place to live in New York State, a new report says.

The other four boroughs didn’t fare much better, the study by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found.

The healthiest New Yorkers call scenic Putnam County home, while Queens won top marks in the city.

Of New York’s 62 counties, Queens ranked 22nd, Manhattan was 30th, Staten Island hit 34th and Brooklyn came in a lowly 58th - four slots ahead of the Bronx.

Counties with large minority populations and high rates of poverty, like the Bronx and Brooklyn, consistently rank as less healthy, officials say.

Many residents of those areas struggle to buy fresh produce, join gyms and visit doctors. They’re also more likely to be obese and diabetic than their wealthy counterparts.

“These numbers aren’t a surprise for us,” said Carolyn Olson, acting assistant commissioner of the city Health Department’s Bureau of Epidemiology.

The study ranked the “health outcomes” of counties in each state by looking at longevity, baby weight and how residents feel physically and mentally.

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THURSDAY 4

SALSA: Frankie Vázquez and the Bronx Horns at Latin Tinge Thursdays, Brooklyn Crossroads Supper Club, 402 Third Ave. at Sixth St. in Park Slope, Brooklyn, 6 p.m.; $10; women free until 8 p.m.

MIX: Brooklyn band Chicha Libre plays to Charlie Chaplin’s “Pay Day” and “The Idle Class” and guitarist Gyan Riley to shorts from Harry Smith’s “Early Abstractions,” 8 p.m. at Merkin Concert Hall, 129 W. 67th St., $40-$45. Part of the New York Guitar Festival.

SATURDAY 6

SALSA: Dominican singers José Alberto (El Canario) and Raúl Rosendo and Puerto Ricans Nino Segarra and Paquito Guzmán at “Back to the the ’80s” concert, Lehman Center, 8 p.m., $35-$50.

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According to a new tally, the Bronx has less banks than any other borough except Staten Island—it has only 154 bank branches compared with 701 in Manhattan, 428 in Queens and 343 in Brooklyn. In some parts of the borough—including the Van Nest neighborhood which hasn’t had a bank in over ten years—you can walk for a mile without coming across one, reported the NY Times. “I don’t think you can have a thriving business community without a bank in the area,” said state senator Jeffrey D. Klein. “They really need a bank to serve as the anchor for the community.”

The bank shortage, which was reported by the FDIC, has larger implications than an excess of ATM fees. It’s an inconvenience of course, but local officials and politicians say it’s also had a soporific affect on the area’s economy. Sen. Klein met with bank owners recently to discuss getting a branch for his community though all but one declined a move to the quiet neighborhood outright. Read more..

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Expects good news from Bronx

HOPE is DHS’ annual, one-night survey of individuals living on city streets.

The 2009 HOPE found that unsheltered homelessness had decreased 47 percent since 2005 and 30 percent since 2008. Although critics such as Coalition for the Homeless, a Manhattan based non-profit group, have questioned HOPE methodology, the estimate is a jewel in DHS’ crown.

Thousands of volunteers help perform HOPE; DHS deployed more than 3,000 volunteers to streets, parks and subways on January 25. Unsheltered homelessness has dropped 72 percent in the Bronx since 2005, a decease Hess called “spectacular.” Last year, the HOPE found 2,238 homeless in the city and 164 in the Bronx. Most were found in Manhattan and on the subway system.

“We have made tremendous progress in the Bronx,” Hess said. “We hope that the 2010 HOPE will show that we’ve maintained that progress or done even better.” Read more..

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Angry parents protest the closing of schools at a Department of Education hearing at Brooklyn Tech High School.

 Over the objections of thousands of protesters, the city Education Department’s panel voted early Wednesday morning to close 19 failing city schools.

After more than eight hours of testimony, the Panel for Educational Policy gave the go-ahead shortly after 3:00 a.m.

The four panel members representing the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan voted against most of the closings.

Mayor Bloomberg’s eight appointees along with the representative from Staten Island supported the decision.

At the beginning of the hearing, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein defended the proposals.

“The sad reality is that the schools we must close tonight are not meeting the standards,” he said, barely audible over boos from the crowd.

At one point he left the stage for several minutes, and the crowd interrupted testimony, repeatedly chanting, “Where is Klein?”

Only after he returned did the crowd allow testimony to continue.

Renee Donaldson holds up a sign as she yells against the closing of schools. Read more..

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