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New York City Comptroller William Thompson, Jr. issued a report last week stating that from 1990 to 2005, gaps in hospitalization and mortality rates based on income have widened among city neighborhoods for heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Hospitalization rates for these diseases remain highest in low-income neighborhoods.

In short, people who live in poor neighborhoods suffer from more preventable and treatable illnesses than people who live in rich neighborhoods.

Thompson’s report, “Health and Wealth: Assessing and Addressing Income Disparities in the Health of New Yorkers,” examined the rates of certain health condition hospitalizations and deaths by neighborhood. It indicates that health disparities arise from economic, social and environmental factors.

The report also noted that while asthma hospitalizations have actually decreased, the prevalence of childhood asthma remains high in many low-income neighborhoods.

In response to the report, Thompson has called on city and state representatives to increase reimbursement for primary and preventive care, more vigorously attack the causes of asthma and expand public education campaigns.

Also, one of Thompson’s proposals is to encourage the creation of more drug and retail store health clinics in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods to supplement existing healthcare facilities. These clinics are found in supermarkets, pharmacies and “big-box” stores and provide relatively low cost care for common ailments, basic screenings and immunizations.

“Simply stated, providing primary and preventive care saves lives and money and is key to reducing disparities,” Thompson said. “Research studies have firmly established a positive correlation between the availability and utilization of primary and preventive healthcare in a neighborhood and the health of a neighborhood’s residents.”

Ronda Kotelchuck, executive director of the Primary Care Development Corp., agreed. “It is remarkable that by offering the right kind of care, at the right time and at the right place, we see that we can truly improve the lives of so many New Yorkers and reduce the disparities they now experience,” she said. “This can only happen if we build a robust primary care sector.”

For more information about the report, visit www.comptroller.nyc.gov.