In July 2006, Rochester NY became the first U.S. city with a housing inspection law that requires both visual inspections and dust wipes for rental units located in areas at high risk for lead paint problems. CGR is conducting a two-year study funded by the Greater Rochester Health Foundation.  Key first-year findings are: a) 1,388 housing units, about 8% of all units inspected citywide, will be made lead safe as a result of the law; b) throughout the city, 958 units failed visual inspections and 430 units in the high risk areas failed dust wipes after passing visual testing; c) it is too early to tell the law’s impact on reducing children’s blood lead levels but there are encouraging signs the law may be helping reduce lead poisoning; and d) the cost of compliance by landlords is lower than anticipated.

For County Nursing Facilities of New York, CGR updated a study of county-owned and operated nursing facilities that we completed a decade ago. CGR profiled the current status of county facilities, reviewed progress on previously identified issues, explored new and continuing challenges confronting county nursing homes, and reviewed and updated the available options for meeting these challenges. The new study recommends alternatives that can be utilized in the future.

The NYS Health Foundation, which resulted from the for-profit conversion of NYC-based Empire Blue Cross, is one of the nation’s largest health care conversion foundations – with $250 million in assets at startup. The foundation asked CGR to summarize the state of the health of New Yorkers by researching and charting key health indicators. CGR developed information on a wide range of topics, from health care access (by age, income, education, gender and race) to information on specific diseases. The information is provided in a series of charts and maps on the NYS Health Foundation website. Information is provided by county and, for some NYC indicators, by borough. The indicators project is one of 3 major projects CGR has conducted for the foundation.

CGR completed a study on worksite wellness issues for the Rochester (NY) Business Alliance. We examined worksite wellness metrics and best practices, identified examples of initiatives in the U.S., and described resources available to employers interested in starting programs.  CGR also designed a survey of employers and employees regarding specific perceptions.  Employers cited stress and tobacco as top issues affecting worker productivity, and said barriers to implementing worksite wellness programs are lack of time to administer them and concerns about cost.  For employees, the desire to improve their health is a top motivator for program participation, and top barriers to participation are lack of time and lack of need.