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.
Follow-up: Video from this debate can be viewed at this link. The North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council is hosting a debate between the six candidates running for State Senate on April 4, 6:00 p.m. at the North Bennet Street School (150 North Street, North End, Boston). This will be a true debate, not a forum, moderated Read More…
With the State’s public hearings coming up at the end of August, today’s Sunday Boston Herald cover story gears up the debate regarding the routing of hazardous material (hazmat) trucks through downtown Boston, including the North End. A recently completed safety study decisively recommends pass-through hazmat trucks (i.e., those not doing business in Boston which Read More…
