Mental health, cancer among top concerns found in Long Island health survey

Concerns about mental health and cancer are among the top well-being concerns of Long Islanders, according to preliminary results of an ongoing survey.

While mental health, depression and suicide were among the top concerns among Suffolk County respondents, cancer topped the list in Nassau. Residents in both counties were also worried about heart disease, stroke, diabetes and substance abuse.

These are some of the first results from the Community Health Assessment survey, which asks residents about their and their community’s most pressing health concerns. The Long Island Health Collaborative – a partnership that includes several area hospitals, health departments and providers – compiled the results based on approximately 400 survey responses.

Experts say the findings highlight the growing prevalence of mental health issues and the lack of available providers, and also reflect the realities of Long Island’s high cancer rates compared to the rest of the state.

For Penelope Rudder, 73, of Greenport, mental health and cancer go hand in hand.

She said it “takes courage” to ask for help because “everyone has this facade of trying to show that they are strong and that they are OK.”

Rudder was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2020 and underwent five facial surgeries to reconstruct the left side of his nose using skin from his forehead. She said she could have used someone to talk to or someone who has had similar treatment to better prepare her.

“Cancer can be extremely lonely. It’s isolating,” Rudder said.

Better cancer screening, education as a goal

Still, doctors hope to take those thoughts and turn them into action, whether it’s improving cancer screening and education or helping residents adopt healthier lifestyles.

Dr. Richard Barakat, chief medical officer and executive director of the Northwell Cancer Institute, said the analysis shows that doctors, when treating patients, and the general population need to recognize and emphasize cancer risk factors.

“To me, that means, ‘OK, we hear you. This is what you have to do,” he said.

The preliminary results — released by the collective as it continues the investigative process — provide important insight into the mindset of Long Islanders, experts say.

When respondents were asked which health issue needed more screening or education in their community, the top response was mental health, with around 32% in Suffolk.

North Babylon resident and civic leader Joanie Zangerle, a uterine cancer survivor, said she has personally seen the need for better mental health services.

“Since the pandemic, I really feel like mental health seems to be something that people need help with,” said Zangerle, a BOCES teacher from Nassau. “Either they can’t get to the right doctor or they don’t have access to coverage. If there was an easier way for those who need it to get it, there wouldn’t be such a crisis.”

Cancer, with about 24% of responses, was the second highest response to this question, according to the survey, allowing respondents to have multiple answers to the question.

In New York, the rate of cancer incidents per 100,000 residents was about 585 between 2018 and 2020, according to state data. Long Island’s rate during the same period was nearly 664.

Breast cancer, in particular, is historically more prevalent on Long Island. The breast cancer incidence rate among women from 2018 to 2020 was about 170 per 100,000, according to the state. On Long Island, the rate was around 190.

Federally funded studies have failed to find a single reason for higher breast cancer rates on Long Island among people lacking a genetic marker. But experts say an aging population and a population with certain demographic markers, as well as possible environmental factors, such as cancer-causing chemicals in groundwater, are all considered potential contributors.

Address risk factors and add services

Barakat pointed out that almost 50% of cancers are associated with modifiable risk factors such as diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol. He also stressed the importance of getting screened for cancer to detect it earlier.

“But ultimately,” he says, “prevention is the best solution.” »

Bishop E. Edward Robinson of Manorville said he remains aware of his family’s medical history, which includes cancer on his father’s side and diabetes on his mother’s side.

Robinson, 42, pastor of Breakthrough Chapel in Selden, said he is in good health, but he reminds himself not to assume that family history won’t repeat itself.

And he feels obligated to remind his parishioners to get regular medical exams, especially since his congregation is made up of people of color.

“Normally, health is a major challenge in our community, particularly due to the lack of adequate health care,” Robinson said.

“Our community, especially the brown community, has not had a good introduction to health care throughout our history, so I think there is still a remnant of fear of doctors,” he added .

“I think it plays a role in medical care because of our culture,” Robinson said.

Dr. Manish Sapra wasn’t surprised that mental health featured prominently in the preliminary findings.

“We are seeing a growing need in our communities for mental health services,” said Sapra, executive director of behavioral health services at Northwell Health. “We have seen an increase in visits to our emergency departments (and) an increase in calls to our outpatient services. »

Reasons for the recent increase in mental health issues include social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as social media. But there is a positive side: the reduction of stigma.

“Before, it was more of a private matter…because of the stigma associated with mental health,” Sapra said.

But even with the increase in the number of people willing to talk about their mental health issues, there is also a lack of providers to offer them care, doctors said.

“Supply and demand are … very asymmetrical right now,” said Dr. Nikhil Palekar, vice president of ambulatory clinical affairs at Stony Brook Medicine. “So there’s a huge demand, but there just aren’t enough troops on the ground.”

Palekar said in particular there was a lack of mental health clinicians on Eastern Long Island, sometimes forcing patients to drive an hour to get to their appointments. Some providers, he says, don’t accept certain types of health insurance, which creates another barrier to care.

Northwell offers programs that include the integration of mental health providers in other specialties and across several Long Island schools. At Stony Brook Medicine, many primary care doctors screen all patients for suicidal ideation and anxiety.

Yet there remain “real barriers to getting care,” Palekar said.

With Denise M. Bonilla, Carl MacGowan and Tara Smith