The City Sets Out To Increase New Yorkers’ Life Expectancy To 83 Years
Mayor Eric Adams joined the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on Wednesday, November 1st to present a brand new city campaign to increase the life expectancy of New Yorkers after lifespans had dramatically decreased between 2019 and 2021.
Titled ‘HealthyNYC,’ the campaign sets out to increase life expectancy to 83 years by 2030. To do so, the campaign will target chronic and diet-related diseases, screenable cancers, overdose, suicide, maternal mortality, violence, and COVID-19. These are all major drivers of premature deaths.
“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.”
Life expectancy dropped to 78 years between 2019 to 2020. Though majority of this decrease can be attributed to the COVID-19 virus, other drivers included overdoses, gun violence and chronic diseases.
‘HealthyNYC’ aims to:
- 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
- Reduce annual COVID-19 deaths by 60 percent by 2030
To specifically tackle these goals, the city will increase access to naloxone, quality health care for new families, and healthy food, in addition to expanding access to culturally responsive mental health care and social support services.
“‘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.”
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