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The speakers were Lisa Perry, a Larchmont resident and senior vice president of quality and technology initiatives of the Community Health Care Association of New York State; Laura Rossi, senior program officer of the Westchester County Foundation; and Laura Tiedge, senior director of healthy living at the Rye YMCA.
The event, held Tuesday, May 12, at Mamaroneck’s Nautilus Diner, focused on issues impacting the ZIP codes for Larchmont (10538) and Mamaroneck (10543.)
“Our district enjoys relatively high health status, but there are differences in the health data within the two ZIPs,” Perry said at the event, according to a press release.
Mamaroneck residents are three times more likely than Larchmont residents to be uninsured, and four times more likely to not have graduated from high school, according to Perry.
In addition, Mamaroneck residents are twice as likely to have limited English language skills and also twice as likely to have an annual household income of under $15,000, Perry added.
Mamaroneck residents have significantly higher teen pregnancy rates, and are twice as likely to either receive late prenatal care or none at all, according to Perry.
Also, Mamaroneck children are three times more likely than Larchmont children to need emergency room visits for issues related to asthma; however, Rossi noted that asthma is the main cause of emergency room visits for all Westchester County children.
Adding more medical services to area schools is one of the best possible solutions, Perry said.
“The health of the school in general is improved when the service is embedded,” Perry added.
Also, students tend to have better attendance and stay enrolled in school when medical services are available, Perry said.
The Rye YMCA is hoping to acquire grant money to create a large community garden in Port Chester, Tiedge said at the event, according to a press release.
The garden would improve the health of people in the area, as they would have better access to fresh food, Tiedge added.
“The healthy choice should be the easy choice,” Tiedge said.
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