Well, most of them. According to a reported issued by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene yesterday, the city's overall death rate fell to an all-time low in 2006 mostly owing to decreases in smoking and HIV-related deaths. But although deaths from these causes were on the decline, those caused by substance abuse were up by 8 percent and lives lost from cancer and heart disease held steady for the year. 55,391 New Yorkers......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck on East 112th St. and 3rd Ave. in Manhattan, shots fired at 132nd St. and Madison Ave. in Manhattan, and a commercial burglary on 4th Ave. and 90th St. in Brooklyn. Page Six lists its top ten scoops of the year. #1 is about Rosie O'Donnell's writer being escorted from The View offices for drawing magic marker mustaches on pictures of Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and rumors that......

Cats in delis: they are ubiquitous, loved, objected to, necessary, and illegal. City inspectors are constantly on the prowl to ferret out deli felines, but deli owners say they are necessary fixtures to keep their businesses free of pests like mice, rats, and roaches. The New York Times has a story today on the ongoing battle between the city and the cats that are the sentinels of its delis--feline samurai who serve their masters in......

As history tells it, in the early 1900s "the presence of 120,000 horses in New York City was declared 'an economic burden, an affront to cleanliness, and a terrible tax upon human life.'" Today the horses are fewer (there are 221 licensed horses, 293 drivers and 68 licensed carriages), and a bit more popular -- albeit amongst the tourist set. The NY Times has a piece on the New York City comptroller finally (for the......

New York's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is reporting that there has been an alarming resurgence in the reported number of cases of syphilis in the city. The New York Times writes that after spiking in the late 1980s during a wave of unsafe sex fueled by an epidemic of crack cocaine use, cases of syphilis dropped steadily. By the late 1990s, incidences of the disease became so rare that public health officials at......

Chicago's star chef Grant Achatz is battling cancer. As reported in the Times yesterday, Achatz released a statement through his publicist: "I wanted to personally report that I have been very recently diagnosed with an advanced stage of squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. I have consulted several prominent physicians and will likely begin aggressive treatment within the next few weeks. I remain, and will remain, actively and optimistically engaged in operations at Alinea to......

Pizza lovers in the city can breathe a sigh of relief as Di Fara is back, after being temporarily closed by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. We couldn't detect any obvious changes to the pizzeria and Dom DeMarco was with head gear and sans gloves creating pizzas in the traditional way. When we visited yesterday, they were doing their normal brisk business with a mix of locals, some MTA employees having lunch,......

The city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is urging New Yorkers to be careful of ticks while spending time outdoors, especially since many are traveling to forested and wooded areas. The DOH's report has helpful preventative steps you can take, as well tips on how to remove ticks. And this FAQ on ticks has more info about the nasty buggers. Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said, "While the number of tick related illnesses has fluctuated......

In George Orwell's 1933 debut roman a clef novel "Down and Out in Paris and London", the author asserted that the more high-class an establishment in Paris, the more disgusting its kitchen could be counted on being. We certainly don't feel that holds true today, but the New York Times has a piece this morning about the closure of Brasserie la Côte Basque in the wake of the health scandal that stemmed from a rat......

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released findings about New Yorkers' drinking habits and finds that 14% binge drink. That translates to 900,000 New Yorkers, and binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks on one occasion. As April is Alcohol Awareness Month, the Health Department "urges New Yorkers who regularly binge drink or think they might have a drinking problem - as well as people with friends or loved ones who may......

After the NY Times reported the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene wanted to encourage adult men at risk for HIV/AIDS to get circumcised, Mayor Bloomberg distanced himself a bit from such a program. According to today's NY Times, Bloomberg officials "cautioned that [a campaign to promote circumcision] was still in its infancy and not yet something the administration had decided to pursue."Asked about the approach at a news conference, Mr. Bloomberg expressed support for......

In a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene two-fer, the DOH announced that 5 million NYC Condoms were given given away between February 14 and March 14, while the Times reveals that the DOH is also working on a campaign to promote circumcision. The condoms, which the city handed out to the public on Valentine's Day and distributed to community organizations and stores, are a "sensation" according to Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden. Frieden said, "I......

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Restaurant Inspection division is on a tear. The DOH shut down three Pizza Hut restaurants owned by the franschisee who owns the rat-infested KFC-Taco Bell in Greenwich Village, the restaurant that launched a thousand shocked giggles and a million more eeewww's. And maybe there were a couple, "Oh, the rats look cute. Behind the glass." Franchisee ADF has eight restaurants in NYC that were allowed to remain......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: Intoxicated students at a Queens high school, a water rescue near East 14th in the East River, and a body was found in Van Cortlandt Park Subway Stickman, or how to turn gum on the ground into floor art Because of the Minuteman Brawl, the College Republicans at Columbia will get a refund from the university The NYPD has decided to have an outside firm examine its stop-and-frisk procedures,......

Valentine's is for lovers, so thinks the city, which is handing out free NYC Condoms today at 10AM. We're not sure if the weather has changed the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's plans, but Health Commissioner Thomas Friedan, as well as Kenneth Cole (designer and chair of amFar) and Dr. Marjorie Hill of the Gay Men's Health Crisis are supposed to be unveil the condom packaged with subway iconography at the Kenneth Cole Store......

Always trendsetters, it seems that New Yorkers are outpacing the rest of the nation when it comes to diabetes. A study released by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene yesterday revealed that one in eight New York City adults is afflicted by the illness with nearly as one third of that group unaware of it. In addition, more than half who know they have diabetes, are not controlling their blood sugar levels enough. Dr.......

Fun statistics about what names are popular amongst new parents in the city. Most notably, the name "Angel" is now the most popular amongst newborn Hispanic boys. The NY Times reports this is the first time a "traditional Spanish name" has been number 1 since the 1980s - usually Hispanic parents choose Kevin and Justin. Angel is the most popular name amongst all males in Arizona and ranks #32 nationally. There are some suggestions about......

Children living in many city buildings, hankering for a midday snack and sticking their little fingers in between loose floor boards may find a tasty treat: lead paint chips! The Daily News reports today that about 900 of the buildings used to house homeless people, through Bloomberg's Housing Stability Plus program, have been found to violate lead paint regulations. About 700 buildings tested positive for lead paint while another 200 or so were highly suspected......

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has unanimously approved banning the use of trans fats. From Crain's:Restaurants will have until July 1, 2007, to find substitutes for oils and other trans fats used in frying and spreads. But eateries will get until July 1, 2008, to find substitutes for oils and shortenings used for deep frying baked goods.In September, the DOHMH proposed measures to decrease trans fats (Health Commissioner Tom Frieden likened them to......

Yesterday the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene held a public hearing about banning trans fats in city restaurants. Overall, most people said it was a good thing, with health and diet experts noting the "historic nature of these hearings" and that 22% of heart-related deaths are due to trans fats consumption. However, there was opposition - and not just from fast food restaurants. The Food Bank for New York City pointed out that......

The Health (and Mental Hygiene) Department released some interesting reports that detail New Yorkers' health by neighborhood. You can check out a profile for where you live, which turns out to be a 16-page PDF listing various stats, like alcoholism, smoking, death rates, and other health issues, as well as giving other interesting demographics (population with age breaks or ethnicity, compared with NYC as a whole). There are also a series of maps that......

Dorm life has many perks for college kids: Proximity to your peers, distance from your parents, an introduction for many kids to independent living. It also has a some similar perks for viruses: Proximity to young, generally unhygienic, fresh meat. As such, you know that college is back in full swing when the first round of bugs start hitting the college kids. Four students in a publicly unnamed dorm on Fordham University's Rose Hill campus......

+ City air unsafe for mosquitoes, asthmatics as the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene continues its shock and awe bombardment of the West Nile carrying buggers. Helicopters will be spraying parts of the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island with pesticide through Friday morning. Only one person has been infected with the disease this year compared with 14 last year. + Anorexic ladies, we feel your pain: skinny dudes have societal pressures too. + Overweight......

If you can't bear the thought of eating hot food on a day like today and you've got a craving for oysters on the half shell, you might want to think twice. According to the New York Times, 74 New Yorkers have gotten sick eating raw oysters originating from the Pacific Northwest: Both the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Food and Drug Administration have warned people not to eat......

The irony of it all! City Comptroller William Thompson says that the Department of Health response time for checking out rodent complaints generally lags. Though the Department of Health (and Mental Hygiene) has been improving its efforts, including starting the Rodent Control Initiative Program to rid particularly troubled areas of pests, the average time it takes the DOH to inspect a complaint is 30 days. Which isn't that good when we think about it, because......

Alleged arborcidal maniac David Sasson, who was arrested in February for destroying $24,000 worth of plants in Union Square with his bare hands, had the results of a psychological evaluation presented in court on Monday, the Villager reports. "Sasson was found unfit to assist in his own defense, and Judge Ellen Gesmer remanded him to the state-run Kirby Psychiatric Center for further evaluation and treatment." The Parks Department claims Sasson ripped up 23 hydrangea......

Got 1% milk? While expensive organic supermarkets like Whole Foods continue to open new locations throughout Manhattan, where are lower-income residents to go to find some healthy groceries? Many outer borough denizens rely on local bodegas to stock up on staples such as milk, eggs, and bread where nutritional options may be lacking. So Gothamist Health supports the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's new plan to encourage select bodegas to add more 1% milk......

Life may be short but New Yorkers are doing their best to squeeze every last drop of breath out of it. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported that fewer New Yorkers died in 2004 than in any other year in recent history. This is being attributing to declining rates of colon cancer, homicide, and AIDS related deaths. But the largest contributor may be a recent drop in heart attacks possibly due to another......

Now that the transit strike is over, the city is asking various businesses if they have contingency plans for the next potential catastrophe - the avian flu. The Post reports that the Office of Emergency Management and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are surveying various companies to see if they have a "pandemic-flu plan" or if they will allow telecommuting. Man, is this another thing Gothaimst has to ask our bosses about? The city......

For all of you groovy kids out there that would rather hit the homeopathic counter than take FDA tested medications for your ills and owies, listen up. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has released a press statement warning against certain herbal meds from India which have dangerously high levels of lead and mercury. The following products have been flagged: Jambrulin – used for diabetes Lakshmivilash Ras (Nardiya) – used......