The city Health Department issued a new five-year blueprint on Tuesday for improving the economic and lifestyle factors that contribute to chronic disease and shortened lifespan in the five boroughs.
The roadmap, entitled “Addressing Unacceptable Inequities,” outlines 19 goals to tackle the racial and class inequities that underpin disparate health outcomes, including early death, which were exacerbated by the pandemic. The goals in the report, which range from a not-yet-funded cash assistance program for people with diabetes to proposed restrictions on advertising sugary drinks in the subway, are intended to lay the groundwork to achieve ongoing longevity initiatives Mayor Eric Adams launched in his second year in office.
The pandemic saw a dramatic decrease in life expectancy, not only due to deaths from Covid-19, but a worsening of other conditions, like heart disease, diabetes and screenable cancer – ailments that are closely linked to socioeconomic factors. Life expectancy among Black and Latino residents dropped dramatically, by approximately six years, according to data kept by the Department of Health.
Adams announced HealthyNYC in 2023 to address the main drivers of premature death, including chronic disease, suicide, maternal mortality and Covid-19. The new plan focuses on other aspects of life that make achieving those goals difficult and draws in more city agencies that may have a hand in addressing them.
The package serves as a rough outline of the mayor’s public health agenda over the next two years as he heads into a challenging re-election season with a number of liabilities. The new goalposts are focused on three areas: material stability, commercial restrictions and diet and fitness. Many of them are mere sketches with unformed details, something the report acknowledges. A number are fully or partially unfunded, setting the stage for them to be included in budget negotiations with the City Council over the next several months.
The administration is looking for ways to fund a pilot program to give 250 low-income Bronx residents with diabetes up to $6,000 in unconditional cash transfers over two years. The theory behind the program is to alleviate the factors of poverty that exacerbate diabetes, like nutrition and stress, particularly for residents in the South Bronx, of whom one-fifth had diabetes in 2023, according to the report. The city believes it can develop a plan for the project with existing funding in the current budget, but the rest will have to be negotiated for the next fiscal year.
Another category focuses on what the report calls the “commercial determinants of health,” which refers to harmful products and exploitative health care practices. It includes restrictions on business between city agencies or vendors and companies that sell or manufacture harmful products like alcohol, tobacco and junk food. The city will also explore a sugary drinks advertising ban in the transit system and a public awareness campaign around the risk of alcohol and cancer. The category also included an awaited hospital price transparency website to hold hospitals and insurers accountable for high health care costs.
The final category focuses on health education and messaging, including around diet, exercise and tobacco use. Other elements of the report focus on increasing access to food stamps, nutrition and culinary training and use of outdoor space.
