Boston City Councilor-at-large, John Connolly, has officially announced that he is running to be the next Mayor of Boston. Meanwhile, the longest sitting mayor of Boston, Thomas M. Menino, has yet to say whether he will seek a sixth term. However, the 20-year incumbent said “Let’s have a nice, good campaign,” in response to the Read More…
Mayor Menino Releases 2010 Health of Boston Report
Mortality rates continue to decline, fewer drug and alcohol deaths
Fewer Boston residents are dying of cancer, heart disease, injuries, and stroke, four of the five leading causes of death in the city, and Asian residents in Boston have the highest average life expectancy of any racial or ethnic group, according to the new Health of Boston report released today by Mayor Menino.
The 399-page report prepared by the Boston Public Health Commission contained plenty of good news about the health of Boston residents: Fewer substance abuse deaths, high rates of cancer screening, fewer teen pregnancies, fewer adults smokers and salmonella cases, and the near- disappearance of children in Boston with elevated lead levels.
But serious challenges remain. The report found that Boston’s black and Latino residents continue to experience higher levels of chronic disease, mortality, and poorer health outcomes compared to white residents. In 2008, the asthma hospitalization rate for black and Latino children was more than three times the rate for Asian children and four times the rate for white children. That same year, the diabetes hospitalization rate for black and Latino residents was about four times the rate for Asians and whites. For Boston’s black residents the health inequities begin early in life and persist throughout the individual’s lifespan: In 2008, the black infant mortality rate was more than four times the white infant mortality rate, and black residents had the shortest average life expectancy.
A unique public art installation was unveiled today at Christopher Columbus Park entitled “Pulse of the City.” The interactive art is on the sidewalk of Atlantic Avenue and encourages fitness by creating music based on the heartbeats of the people who approach it. “This is a truly unique project that connects Boston’s residents and visitors Read More…
