This windshield survey examines the Bronx borough of New York City across several key community health dimensions. Drawing on economic data, local health resources, environmental surveys, and community initiatives, the paper evaluates the Bronx's community vitality, social and economic indicators, available health services, environmental conditions, social functioning, and resident attitudes toward healthcare. While the Bronx demonstrated resilience during the recent recession by adding jobs and maintaining strong health and education sectors, persistent challenges remain, including elevated unemployment, low college-education rates, environmental health concerns, and unequal access to healthcare resources.
This windshield survey of the Bronx finds that while the borough experienced some difficulty during the recent recession, it appears quite vibrant socially and is rebounding economically, with generally good housing and healthcare infrastructure — though air pollution and other environmental problems remain concerns.
If "vitality" measures the social and economic health of a community, the Bronx can be said to be doing very well. The borough is home to nearly a dozen colleges and universities, the Bronx Zoo (a world-class institution), and the New York Botanical Garden, considered among the finest in the nation. Sunshine Bronx, a local cooperative, further illustrates the growth spirit of the community.
Hunts Point at Sunshine Bronx is on the upswing, according to Adam Davidson writing in The New York Times. The area has fresh supplies of produce, fish, and meat, and it supplies meat and fish to virtually every grocery store in New York City (Davidson, 2012, p. 2).
William C. Dudley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, delivered a speech at a university in the Bronx in 2011. In his remarks, he noted that the Bronx sustained almost no net job loss during the recession — in fact, the borough added 10,000 jobs from the recession's start. Dudley attributed this job growth to a concentration of health and education facilities in the area, with Montefiore Medical Center serving as the borough's largest employer (Dudley, 2011).
Still, not everything is rosy as far as the Bronx economy is concerned. Approximately 12% of the workforce was unemployed at the time of the survey, and fewer than one-fifth of adults in the Bronx held college degrees (Dudley, p. 2).
"Montefiore Medical Center and Bronx Health Center services"
"Resident survey findings on environmental quality"
"Community groups and Healthy Bronx Initiative programs"
While the Bronx did not lose jobs during the recent recession — in fact the borough gained jobs — and while it is home to many colleges and universities, there are still residents who need help, need employment, and are not as healthy as they could be. Visitors travel to the Bronx to see the Yankees, the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden, and other attractions, making the borough well known to the outside world. Nevertheless, environmental problems with direct implications for public health remain and must continue to be addressed.
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