• Nearly one in five Long Island residents with household incomes under $40,000 (defined in a 2006 Vital Signs report as the "true poverty" rate) lacked health insurance. By contrast, only 1 percent of those with household incomes of at least $60,000 lacked insurance.
  
  
• One-fifth of Hispanic residents, 26 percent of residents with household incomes under $20,000, and 17 percent of those with incomes of $49,000 to $60,000 who received health care in the past year reported having major problems covering the costs of necessities, such as rent, food, heat, car fuel, or other transportation costs, due to medical bills.
  
  
• Fourteen percent of those taking prescription drugs reported rationing their medication use (by splitting pills, skipping doses and not filling prescriptions), and 13 percent reported spending less on basic needs because of prescription drug costs.
  
  
• More than 90 percent of white and black residents reported having a regular health care provider, compared to only 70 percent of Hispanic residents. In addition, 94 percent of U.S.-born residents reported having a provider, compared to only 60 percent of non-citizens.
  
  
• Close to half of respondents reported at least one chronic health problem, with greater prevalence among those with lower education and income.
  
  
• While the region’s overall diabetes rate—7 percent—is on par with the rate for the U.S. a whole, significant differences among populations persist. More than twice as many blacks (16 percent) reported being diagnosed with diabetes as whites and Hispanics (7 percent).
  
  
• Among those who received care in the past year, one in 10 (9 percent) left a provider's office without getting important questions answered. The most common reason cited was that the doctor spent too little time with them.
  
  
• Almost one in ten (8 percent) respondents who visited a health care provider in the last year said that they had experienced some form of discrimination based on factors such as age, sex, socio-economic-status, insurance status, and English proficiency. Hispanics, those with less education, and those with lower incomes reported higher rates of at least one form of discrimination.
  
  
• In general, respondents reported a high degree of trust in their health care providers but race/ethnic concordance between doctors and patients increased the degree of trust for whites and blacks.  

"The Long Island Health Care Survey was designed to enhance our understanding of the many factors that affect the health and quality of life for our region's diverse residents," said Vital Signs Project Director Sarah Eichberg, Ph.D. "Involving a significant proportion of black and Hispanic populations was essential in our quest to create a nuanced picture of our region’s health care successes and challenges."

Partial funding for the survey was provided by Nassau University Medical Center and North Shore-LIJ Health System’s Office of Strategic Planning. A grant from The Bank of America Foundation covered the printing and production costs of the final report.

"This first-ever comprehensive survey of health care access on Long Island brought to light crucial information that confirms the magnitude of disparities that exist in Nassau and Suffolk counties," said North Shore-LIJ President and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Dowling. "North Shore-LIJ is pleased to collaborate with Adelphi's Vital Signs project and Nassau University Medical Center in drawing attention to the key issues that combine to limit access to health care on Long Island. Hopefully, this study will be a springboard for further discussions aimed at meeting the health care needs of communities throughout the region."

"We at Nassau University Medical Center have been taking aggressive steps to address inequalities in our region, including the establishment of Nassau Health Care Corporation's Institute for Healthcare Disparities to expand our efforts in service provision, outreach, education and research," said NHCC President and Chief Executive Officer Arthur A. Gianelli. "This landmark study will accelerate our progress in this area."

Initiated in 2004 by Adelphi University President Robert A. Scott, Vital Signs is a campus-community partnership project that systematically identifies, tracks, and analyzes the social health of populations and communities in Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island. Vital Signs has received generous support from New York State Senator Kemp Hannon, the Bank of America Foundation, and others. Its primary objective is to develop a centralized resource to inform policy and service provision in an effort to reduce social health disparities. The Long Island Health Care Survey is the project’s third report. 

"I am grateful to our partners and to the Vital Signs team for their fine work in bringing about this most important report," said Adelphi University President Robert A. Scott, Ph.D. "I hope that it spurs further coordination of efforts and engages all sectors in identifying the resources and the strategies that can reduce the region’s health disparities and vexing inequalities."

Electronic copies of the Long Island Health Survey as well as previous Vital Signs reports are available online at www.adelphi.edu/vitalsigns.


About Adelphi University: Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, the Honors College, the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls more than 8,300 students from 40 states and 50 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.


Media Contact
For additional information, please contact:

Bonnie Eissner Communications Director p - 516.877.3697 cell - 516.724.0693 e - eissner@adelphi.edu

Kali Chan Media Relations Director Specialist p - 516.877.4040 e - chan@adelphi.edu

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