New York City Council to vote on plan to help extend life expectancy of New Yorkers
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The New York City Council is expected to vote on legislation with perhaps the loftiest goal you can think of, the goal of extending life.
It's an ambitious swing but also desperately needed.
Back in 2019, New Yorkers saw their average life expectancy plummet from about 82 and a half years to 78 in just 12 months.
This legislation seeks to address health disparities, expand access to health care, and extend the average lifespan of all New Yorkers to 83 years by 2030.
Healthy NYC has set the following 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
-Reduce annual COVID-19 deaths by 60 percent by 2030
The focus will be on communities that have lost the most by offering better resources, including more reliable transportation, safer streets, and healthier food options.
The strategies include providing early mental health intervention, better access to maternal health care, and more access to treatment and recovery centers to reduce overdose deaths.
Dr. Darien Sutton joined Eyewitness News Mornings @ 10 to explain why there was a life expectancy decline and what people can do to stay healthy as they age.
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