New York City Mayor Eric Adams announces the launch of Healthy NYC in Brooklyn on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
NEW YORK – “HealthyNYC,” an ambitious plan to increase life expectancy to 83 years by 2030 with gains across racial and ethnic groups, was unveiled yesterday, November 1. The campaign sets ambitious targets to address the most significant drivers of premature death, including chronic and diet-related diseases, screenable cancers, overdose, suicide, maternal mortality, violence, and COVID-19.
The 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, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). Recent data suggests that life expectancy in New York City has improved, 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.
“‘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. Ashwin 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.”
Vasan added the announcement sets the coordinates for their collective mission to lead longer, healthier lives, and there is perhaps no more meaningful 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 well, for themselves and for generations to follow.”
“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,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “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.”
While COVID-19 was the biggest driver of the decrease in life expectancy in 2020, DOHMHH said 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 said it can bring life expectancy above 83 years by 2030 and reduce racial disparities in life expectancy. The City will employ several 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 addressing 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 also 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 regularly update the City Council on progress.
According to the DOHMH, 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.
–With Jay Domingo/PDM
