Press Release New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Office of Communications
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sandra Mullin/Monique Duwell Business Hours (212) 788-5290 After Business Hours (212) 764-7667 Thursday, July 15, 2004

NEW YORK CITY - July 15, 2004 - Poor New Yorkers, as well as black and Hispanic New Yorkers, are more likely to have diabetes, HIV, and other diseases, and are also at greater risk of dying prematurely, according to a new report released by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), in collaboration with the Fund for Public Health in New York. Funded by The Commonwealth Fund, Health Disparities in New York City analyzes the impact of income, race, and ethnicity on a variety of health measures and conditions, ranging from infant mortality to life expectancy. The report is available online at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/disparities-2004.pdf.

Health Disparities in New York City is based on a comprehensive analysis of City, State, and national surveys and reports. Key findings include:

• Substantial inequalities remain among New Yorkers of different economic and racial/ethnic groups.
• Poor New Yorkers, as well as black and Hispanic New Yorkers, bear a disproportionate burden of illness and premature death.
• Poor health is concentrated in certain New York City neighborhoods.
• Factors associated with poor health, such as lack of access to medical care, unhealthy behaviors, and sub-standard living conditions, are more common among certain economic and racial/ethnic groups.
• Eliminating health disparities in New York City would save thousands of lives each year.

The report cites three main strategies to promote greater health equity in the City:

• Expand partnerships for health improvement beyond the health care and public health communities to include education, housing, employment, and other sectors of society.
• Combine this approach with specific, proven public health policies and interventions, such as "Take Care New York" - the City's health policy and guide to action on the most pressing health issues facing New Yorkers.
• Target resources and interventions to communities bearing the heaviest burdens of illness and premature death.

Recognizing that health disparities resulting from social disadvantage are most concentrated in the South and East Bronx, East and Central Harlem, and North and Central Brooklyn, DOHMH established District Public Health Offices in these three areas last year to strategically address health problems at a community level.

Other Findings from Health Disparities in New York City

New Yorkers living in poor neighborhoods face the most pressing health problems.

• In 2001, life expectancy in New York City's poorest neighborhoods was 8 years shorter than in its wealthiest neighborhoods - a decrease from 1990, when the difference was 10 years.

• More than 4,000 deaths could be prevented each year if the all-cause mortality rate in the wealthiest neighborhoods existed in the poorest neighborhoods.
• New Yorkers in the poorest neighborhoods are more than 3 times as likely as those in the wealthiest neighborhoods to die from diabetes.

Poor New Yorkers, as well as black and Hispanic New Yorkers, bear a disproportionate burden of illness and premature death.

• The poorest New Yorkers are 4 times more likely to report poor overall health than the wealthiest.
• The rate of new HIV diagnoses is about 6 times as high among blacks as among whites.
• Disparities in diabetes are widening: From 1999-2001, black New Yorkers were about 3 times more likely to die from diabetes than white New Yorkers.

Factors associated with poor health, such as lack of access to medical care, unhealthy behaviors, and sub-standard living conditions, are more common among certain economic and racial/ethnic groups.

• In every racial and ethnic group, poor New Yorkers are the most likely to not have received needed medical care in the past year.
• Wealthy New Yorkers are about twice as likely to exercise as poor New Yorkers.
• 94% of elevated blood lead cases in children in New York City are among blacks, Hispanics, and Asians.

DOHMH and its Partners are Working Towards Health Equity

In recent years, some health disparities have declined. For example, mortality due to AIDS is on the decline among all income and racial/ethnic groups.

"While substantial progress has been made in reducing health disparities, unacceptable health inequities persist," said DOHMH Commissioner Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH. "Residents of New York's poorest communities still have a life expectancy that is eight years shorter than those in the wealthiest neighborhoods. Babies born to African-American mothers are more than twice as likely as those born to white mothers to die in infancy. This report provides a critical and unparalleled resource as we strive to improve health where the needs are greatest."

Karen Davis, President of The Commonwealth Fund, said, "Identifying the scope and location of health disparities in our communities is a crucial step toward addressing this problem. This report provides the basis for health leaders, policymakers, and health care consumers to move forward together to find solutions."

Adam Karpati, MD, MPH, Assistant Commissioner for DOHMH's Brooklyn District Public Health Office and a lead author of the report, said, "Understanding how social and environmental factors influence health is an integral step in helping New Yorkers become healthier. This report synthesizes data from many sources to provide an overall picture of health disparities in the City. The fact that disparities exist for almost all health conditions indicates that we need to address the roles that poverty and other social disadvantage play in contributing to illness and premature death."

The Health Department is distributing this report to community organizations, health care providers, elected officials, libraries, universities, the media and other recipients. The report can be found online at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/disparities-2004.pdf. New Yorkers can call 311 to request a copy of the report or e-mail disparities@health.nyc.gov.

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