“HealthyNYC” Aims to Increase Life Expectancy to 83 Years by 2030, Focuses on Reducing Chronic Disease, Overdose, Maternal Mortality Deaths, and More
New Yorkers Have Seen Lifespans Fall at Historic Rates Between 2019 and 2021, Dropping Nearly Two Years to 80.7 Years
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan today unveiled “HealthyNYC,” an ambitious plan to improve and extend the average lifespan of all New Yorkers. The campaign sets ambitious targets to address the greatest drivers of premature death, including chronic and diet-related diseases, screenable cancers, overdose, suicide, maternal mortality, violence, and COVID-19. Overall, the campaign aims to extend the average life expectancy of New Yorkers to 83 years by 2030, with gains across racial and ethnic groups.
“It’s time we give New York City extra life with the launch of ‘HealthyNYC,’ our campaign to help New Yorkers lead healthier, longer lives,” said Mayor Adams. “Our administration is setting out to increase New Yorkers’ life expectancy to over 83 years by 2030 — not only recovering years lost during the pandemic but also surpassing our previous high by tackling chronic disease, violence, maternal mortality, overdose, and more. By refocusing all of our public health work around the goal of helping people live longer lives, we’ll build a healthier, more prosperous city where everyone can thrive.”
“‘HealthyNYC’ is the city’s singular organizing effort to help extend life expectancy for New Yorkers,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “We will tackle the underlying causes of lost years and lost lives, including combating the opioid crisis, reducing maternal mortality and morbidity, bringing diet-related chronic diseases into remission, and helping every New Yorker live their healthiest life. We do all this because our health is what allows us to live more and love more for ourselves and our families.”
“‘HealthyNYC’ is a game changer because in the wake of COVID-19, and while facing parallel and growing health crises, we know that, as a city and a nation, people are getting sicker and dying sooner than they should,” said DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Vasan. “Losing years of life and of good health is a unifying challenge, and getting them back is a top priority for New York City, as well as a north star for the future of public health. This announcement sets the coordinates for our collective mission to lead longer, healthier lives, and there is perhaps no more important measure of the health of our society and our democracy. The road we travel here in New York City will provide guideposts for our nation and its people, who should expect to live long and live well, for themselves and for generations to follow.”
“Our city has always ensured that New Yorkers have the information and tools they need to make healthy decisions for themselves and their families,” said Mitchell Katz, MD, president and CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals. “‘HealthyNYC’ is a national model that once again demonstrates how the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is on the forefront of public health.”
“Increasing life expectancy across our city requires all hands on deck, and ‘HealthyNYC’ is doing just that – galvanizing government, partners, and everyday New Yorkers to achieve this ambitious goal,” said New York City Chief Equity Officer and Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice Commissioner Sideya Sherman. “By addressing the core drivers of premature mortality – from chronic diseases to maternal health – and extreme inequities across racial and ethnic groups, we’re helping to build a future where all New Yorkers can live healthy and fulfilling lives.”
“Each year, DSS connects millions of vulnerable New Yorkers to the critical benefits, services, and supports they need to remain safe, healthy, and housed. However, we know that our low-income neighbors are still disproportionately impacted by the drivers of premature death like chronic disease, overdose, suicide, maternal mortality, and COVID-19,” said New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Molly Wasow Park. “The stark decrease in New Yorkers’ lifespan following the pandemic is deeply concerning, and we are pleased that the Adams’ administration is implementing a comprehensive plan to not only reverse this trend but significantly increase life expectancy for all New Yorkers. We look forward to working closely with our partner agencies to help New Yorkers lead longer and healthier lives.”
“Climate change is a public health crisis that especially burdens those with underlying health conditions, many of whom live in environmental justice communities and contribute the least to climate change,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson. “Climate policy should advance better health, and public health policy should mitigate the health impacts of climate change.”
“A ‘HealthyNYC’ is a ‘Food Forward NYC.’ As we work across agencies, to ensure all New Yorkers have equitable access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food, we must be equally relentless in our targeting of other major drivers of illness and inequities,” said Mayor’s Office of Food Policy Executive Director Kate MacKenzie. “We applaud this administration’s and DOHMH Commissioner Vasan’s unprecedented commitment to increasing life expectancy through this comprehensive goal-setting framework underscored by an ambitious nutrition mandate. These cross-cutting initiatives and coordinated preventive actions represent a deeper investment in the overall health of every New Yorker than ever before.”
“Making sure older New Yorkers can access the programs and services the city offers is an important step to improving people’s well-being, and I am pleased we are taking these positive steps to create a healthier and more equitable city” said New York City Department for the Aging (NYC Aging) Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez. “As such, NYC Aging developed the ‘Join Us’ campaign, encouraging older residents to come out and see what their local older adult center has to keep them healthy. The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how important it is to ensure residents take care of their bodies and minds all year-round, no matter how old we are. As we help residents live longer, I look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan to build the age-inclusive city we all want to live in.”
“NYCHA is committed to improving the quality of life for residents, and we are proud to lend our support to ‘HealthyNYC’,” said New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “As the driving spirit of this amazing city, it is imperative that all New Yorkers — including NYCHA residents — do everything in their power to address and counteract factors contributing to the premature loss of life.”
“Thank you to Mayor Adams, Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom, and Commissioner Vasan for launching ‘HealthyNYC’ and tackling head-on the greatest drivers of premature death, including maternal mortality, suicide, and overdose,” said New York City Administration of Child Services Commissioner Jess Dannhauser. “‘HealthyNYC’ will not only extend the lives of New Yorkers but means that more families will be whole, able to embrace their loved ones, and celebrate life’s milestones together.”
“This ambitious new agenda demonstrates our city’s commitment to keeping New Yorkers healthy and happy — and, as we all saw during the COVID-19 pandemic, our public green spaces have a vital role to play,” said New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “From young kids looking for a place to shoot hoops, to older New Yorkers enjoying the fresh air while they swap stories, our parks and recreation centers provide safe ways for all New Yorkers to connect with each other and with the great outdoors. We look forward to working with the Department of Health and our partners across the city government to continue maintaining beautiful and accessible public playgrounds, parks, greenways, gardens, and more.”
“City government should educate, inspire, and empower New Yorkers to become active participants in increasing their own health and lifespans. Knowing that not all of us are starting from the same place, we need to even the playing field and help New Yorkers take control of their own personal health and wellness,” said New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo. “Concerted efforts to improve one’s health can greatly improve people’s lives. We have seen this in so many individual cases, and now it’s time to do the work to make it possible across communities throughout our city. I heartily applaud Mayor Adams and our colleagues at the Department of Health for aiming high and coming to the table with a detailed plan on how to hit that target.”
“‘HealthyNYC’ means a better quality of life and a stronger economy for all New Yorkers,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “I applaud Mayor Adams and the New York City Department of Health on this important initiative.”
“‘HealthyNYC’ isn’t just about raising life expectancy, but about raising the quality of life for all New Yorkers,” said New York City Small Business Services Commissioner Kevin D. Kim. “As we learned during the pandemic, economic health is inextricably linked with public health. By improving access to quality care, preventive health services, and good nutrition, we are building a stronger workforce and more robust business landscape.”
The “HealthyNYC” plan aims to address the life years lost during the COVID-19 pandemic to the virus and other causes and surpass life expectancy from what it was pre-pandemic. Between 2019 and 2020, overall life expectancy across demographics fell to 78 years. Recent data suggests that life expectancy in New York City has begun to improve, with 2.7 years gained back from 2020 to 2021, however life expectancy remains well behind 2019 data. These impacts have also not been felt equally, as life expectancy fell to 76.1 years among Black New Yorkers in 2021, compared to 81.8 years among white New Yorkers.
While COVID-19 was the biggest driver of the decrease in life expectancy in 2020, other causes contributed to this decline, both locally and nationally. For example, overdose deaths increased in 2020 and 2021. Other drivers of decreasing lifespans included gun violence and chronic diseases, like diabetes. To address this trend, “HealthyNYC” outlines the following ambitious goals:
- Reduce cardiovascular disease and diabetes by 5 percent by 2030;
- Reduce screenable cancers — including lung, breast, colon, cervical, and prostate cancers — by 20 percent by 2030;
- Reduce overdose deaths by 25 percent by 2030;
- Reduce suicide deaths by 10 percent by 2030;
- Reduce homicide deaths by 30 percent by 2030;
- Reduce pregnancy-associated mortality among Black women by 10 percent by 2030; and
- Reduce annual COVID-19 deaths by 60 percent by 2030.
By reaching these milestones, the city can bring life expectancy above 83 years by 2030 and reduce existing racial disparities in life expectancy. The city will employ a number of strategies to achieve these reductions in deaths, including:
- Increasing access to naloxone, proven harm-reduction, and treatment and recovery centers to reduce overdose deaths;
- Expanding access to culturally responsive mental health care and social support services, including early intervention for communities of color and LGBTQIA+ youth and address the impact of social media on youth mental health and suicidal ideation to reduce suicide deaths;
- Increasing new families’ access to quality health care and social support to reduce pregnancy-associated mortality among Black women; and
- Increasing access to healthy foods and promoting plant-forward diets to reduce chronic and diet-related disease deaths.
Additionally, New York City Councilmember Lynn Schulman today announced new legislation to codify the city’s population health agenda and create a healthier New York City in the years to come. Under the legislation, DOHMH will consult with stakeholders and provide regular updates to the City Council on progress made.
The recent fall in life expectancy reversed years of progress that New York City had made over prior years. Life expectancy in New York City increased by three years between 2001 and 2010. While that figure roughly plateaued in subsequent years, the age-adjusted premature death rate was relatively level from 2016 to 2019, before plunging in 2020.
The major steps outlined in “HealthyNYC” build on the Adams administration’s efforts to building a healthier and safer city, including programs launched in “Care, Community, Action” — the city’s plan to improve family and child mental health while addressing the overdose crisis — as well as Mayor Adams’ “Blueprint to End Gun Violence.”
“Congratulations to New York City for its initiative in launching a campaign that aims to increase life expectancy,” said New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. “The ‘Healthy NYC’ campaign reinforces many of the state Health Department’s goals of addressing systemic inequities and creating safer birth experiences for all New Yorkers; supporting a variety of prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery initiatives to help New Yorkers impacted by the opioid and overdose crisis; and ensuring equitable access to underserved populations. The new campaign reaches across all program areas and bridges many gaps, advancing equitable access to treatment and care for all New Yorkers.”
“Improving health outcomes and life expectancies for all New Yorkers is key to our city and its communities thriving,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “‘HealthyNYC’s’ focus on addressing the major causes that contribute to premature deaths and setting ambitious targets is vital to the long-term future of our city. Prioritizing equitable gains for historically under-served communities must also be a priority. I look forward to supporting efforts to promote comprehensive solutions that will advance health and wellness for all New Yorkers.”
No comments:
Post a Comment