Q&A: New York's plan for boosting life expectancy, neighborhood by neighborhood

All health is local, down to neighborhoods that shave years off life expectancy, public health officials in New York City assert in a new, data-driven strategy intended to reverse the trend toward shorter lifespans that accelerated during the pandemic.

“Health is as much about your neighborhood and your environment as it is about an individual checkup or prescription,” acting health commissioner Michelle Morse wrote in introducing a roadmap to better health. Called “Addressing Unacceptable Inequities: A Chronic Disease Strategy for New York City,” it charts where people can — or can’t — buy healthy food, find transportation to their doctor’s appointments, and be physically active in clean, safe parks. 

The roadmap lays out 19 specific programs — from providing basic income to “prescribing parks” for social and health connections — led by multiple city agencies. The goal, first announced in November 2023, is to improve longevity and reduce disparities caused by heart- and diabetes-related diseases by 5% by 2030 and deaths due to screenable cancers by 20% by 2030. 

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