Shari Rudavsky

shari.rudavsky@indystar.com

Groan. Another study that tells us how much worse Indianapolis is than many other cities in the nation. But unlike some other studies that point the finger and then move on, this latest one, conducted by CityHealth, offers some constructive suggestions about ways Indianapolis can improve to meet what the study calls the “gold standard” for health in cities.

The study, supported by the deBeaumont Foundation, rated the 40 most-populated cities in the United States in nine areas related to quality of life policies, from access to universal pre-kindergarten to cigarette and alcohol laws to housing.

Five cities received gold ratings, five silver and nine bronze. Only three cities, Boston, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif., earned medals in each of the nine categories.

Indianapolis was one of 21 cities to receive no overall medal. It was one of only five cities that medaled in just two categories.

Indianapolis earned a gold for its complete streets policies and a silver for its clean indoor policies, which aim to protect nonsmokers from tobacco.

But the overall picture is not so grim for Indianapolis, said Mary McKee, director of public health practice for the Marion County Public Health Department.

"There's movement in just about every single one of these here, but it's slow," she said. "The folks in Indianapolis across all sectors are beginning to realize that we have to have health in all of our policies. ... It will be slow going for a little bit, but I think that Indianapolis will get there."

Both the complete streets and smoking ordinances took years to pass, McKee said.

Here are the seven areas in which CityHealth said Indy can do better:

• Affordable housing: CityHealth rated cities in this category based on whether they had laws that encourage inclusionary zoning, which encourages developers to set aside some low- and moderate-income units when adding to the housing stock. Only Chicago and New York received gold medals for their policies in this area.

• Control alcohol sales: Studies have linked alcohol sales to levels of violence and drunk driving. So policies that restrict the amount of alcohol sales in a neighborhood will lead to lower crime levels and improved public safety. Fourteen cities earned medals here, including eight golds.

• Paid sick leave: Almost half, 17 out of the 40, cities earned medals in this category. Not Indy. This ranking looked at whether a city had laws requiring employers to allow people to take time off to care for themselves and or family members. More generous paid sick leave laws will decrease the spread of contagious diseases and increase income stability, CityHealth officials argue.

• Increasing minimum tobacco age: There’s a statewide effort in the Indiana General Assembly to raise the minimum age to purchase cigarettes to 21. But so far, no Indiana city has taken this step. However, 13 cities included in the CityHealth analysis have done just that, earning them each a gold in this category. A bill proposed this year in the General Assembly would raise the legal age and increase the tax to $1.50 a pack. But earlier this week, House Republicans folded a $1 increase into the budget, leaving open the question of what will happen with the age increase.

• Healthy food options: This category looked at what type of food gets sold on public property and how strict the city is when it comes to the nutritional content of its vending machines.

• Universal pre-kindergarten: All but nine of the 40 cities have high-quality early childhood education programs. Advocates argue that such programs in the short term improve school readiness. In the long term, these programs can lead to higher high school graduation rates and lower rates of teen pregnancies. Indianapolis does have a program that serves low-income children, considered at greatest risk.

• Posted restaurant grades. Of course, the Marion County Health Department inspects restaurants to ensure that they comply with food safety requirements. But 12 cities require restaurants to post the “grades” they earn on inspections, which can reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses and lead to overall lower health care costs, the CityHealth analysis says.

Call IndyStar reporter Shari Rudavsky at (317) 444-6354. Follow her on Twitter: @srudavsky.