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This paper presents a qualitative content analysis of survey data collected from behavioral health care providers from throughout New York regarding the challenges faced as a result of COVID-19. Survey responses from 295 agency and program administrators and staff, representing 238 organizations, were analyzed. Ten themes were identified: business operations, service provision, telehealth, safety, client concerns, staff concerns, supplies, technology, illness/grief/loss, and communication. These themes represent concerns that arose from the rapid transition to widespread use of telehealth, limited technology accessibility for both staff and clients, reduced revenue and billing changes, impact of COVID-19 infection itself and subsequent deaths of clients and staff, and necessary modifications for organizational communication both internally and externally. The implications of these challenges and the need for further research to identify how to best address them are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic assessment of the effect of COVID-19 on the food retail environment—an important determinant of health—has not been conducted. Our objective was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on closures of restaurants, food retail stores, and fresh produce vendors in New York City (NYC). We conducted a cross-sectional study following the peak of COVID-19 in six neighborhoods in NYC. Two Chinese ethnic neighborhoods and four higher/lower resourced comparison neighborhoods were selected a priori based on 14 sociodemographic indicators. The primary outcome was indefinite/temporary closures or absence of food businesses. Of 2720 food businesses identified, produce vendors and restaurants were more likely to close than food retail stores. A higher proportion of food businesses closed in Chinese ethnic neighborhoods vs. comparison neighborhoods. COVID-19 impacted food businesses in six NYC neighborhoods examined in this period, with the greatest effect observed for Chinese ethnic neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2006, New York City (NYC) has attempted to reduce sugary drink consumption through several population-based initiatives, media campaigns and policy proposals. We estimated trends in the relative market share of sugary drinks and other beverage categories in NYC, using over 5 years of weekly, point-of-sale data from a retailer sample. We used an interrupted time series approach to assess whether changes in NYC beverage purchasing patterns occurred following the announcement of a proposed portion cap rule for consumer purchases of sugary drinks. Overall, market share of sugary drinks declined in NYC between 2010 and 2015. While the proportion of beverage volume sold that was sugary drinks was stable prior to the May 2012 portion cap rule announcement, decreases of 1.25% per year were observed in the period following the announcement compared to the period before (95% confidence interval (CI) − 1.60, − 0.90). Water/seltzer market share was increasing prior to the announcement and increased by an additional 1.03% per year in the post-announcement period (95% CI 0.48, 1.57). City-led efforts to increase public awareness about sugary drink-associated health risks in NYC may have led to reductions in consumer purchases of these beverages. Though never implemented, the portion cap proposal and accompanying media coverage may have contributed to decreases in sugary drink sales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]