Diverse Cross-Section of City Leaders and Organizations Sign-On to HealthyNYC Campaign - NYC Health

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Diverse Cross-Section of City Leaders and Organizations Sign-On to HealthyNYC Campaign

Leaders from Public, Private, Philanthropic, Organized Labor, and Nonprofit Community Organizations Have Committed to Promoting a Healthier New York City.

HealthyNYC Outlines Plans to Reduce Premature Death and Reduce Inequities to Extend Life Expectancy in the City to 83 by 2030.

June 11, 2024 — Today, New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan introduced representatives from more than 15 organizations that have signed-on to support the city’s goal of promoting longer, healthier lives in New York City. During the Gracie Mansion event, HealthyNYC ‘Champions’ shared the many ways in which they will promote health within their organizations and for the communities they serve, in alignment with the HealthyNYC goals to reduce the impact of the leading causes of death and inequity.

Champions are committing to improving the health and wellbeing of their employees by aligning policies with the HealthyNYC goals, advancing programming that has the most impact on the biggest drivers of loss of life expectancy, amplifying HealthyNYC within their networks and community engagement efforts, and incorporating HealthyNYC into their goal-setting process.

These include hosting screening and healthcare fairs for employees, building referral networks and community partnerships, and education and awareness campaigns built on HealthyNYC and tailored to their communities and stakeholders.

HealthyNYC Champions include: American Heart Association; Carnegie Hall; Columbia University SPH; Commonwealth Fund; CUNY SPH; DC37; EmblemHealth; Greater NY Hospital Association; Human Services Council; InUnity Alliance; NAMI-NYC; New York Academy of Medicine; Northeast Business Group on Health; NYU Langone Health; Rockefeller Foundation; United Way of NYC; Milken Institute.

“One of our administration’s key missions is to make this city more livable and that’s why we launched HealthyNYC — to promote longer, healthier lives for New Yorkers across the five boroughs,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Today, we take another step in getting closer to achieving that mission. By partnering with a diverse set of stakeholders from across government, the private sector, philanthropy, and the nonprofit community, we are helping reach our goals of increasing life expectancy to 83 by 2030, and I thank our partners for joining us in this crucial effort.”

“It takes all of us, working as a team, to create a healthier New York and a healthier world,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “As we learned in the pandemic, we are strongest when we have clear alignment and a purpose that bridges public health and healthcare, and that brings together government, private sector, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors into a common mission. I am thrilled to welcome such a broad and diverse group of champions who collectively serve hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and who represent critical pillars of our civic infrastructure, into our city’s shared goal to extend life, improve health, and reduce health inequities in our city. These leaders are the vanguard of a healthier city and we are thrilled for them to be part of this transformational partnership to make New York City the healthiest big city in the world.”

“By bringing together a diverse array of organizations and leaders as champions of HealthyNYC, all New Yorkers benefit,” said Council Member Lynn Schulman, Chair of the Health Committee. “HealthyNYC is a bold and necessary initiative that brings together a diverse coalition dedicated to tackling the systemic health disparities in our city and extending the life expectancy of all New Yorkers. It is a crucial step towards a more equitable and healthier future for our city.”

Unveiled last fall, HealthyNYC aims to reach the highest ever life expectancy in the history of New York City – 83 years, from the current level of 80 years, by meeting the following goals by 2030:

Reduce cardiovascular disease and diabetes by 5 percent;
Reduce screenable cancers — including lung, breast, colon, cervical, and prostate cancers — by 20 percent;

Reduce overdose deaths by 25 percent;

Reduce suicide deaths by 10 percent;

Reduce homicide deaths by 30 percent;

Reduce pregnancy-associated mortality among Black women by 10 percent; and

Reduce annual COVID-19 deaths by 60 percent.

HealthyNYC is reinforced by Local Law 0093-2024, passed in March, which ensures that it is a permanent feature of civic planning in New York City by requiring the life expectancy agenda be reported on and updated every five years with new vital statistics data from the Health Department.

HealthyNYC is a citywide program, led by the NYC Health Department in partnership with all city agencies, and organized into three pillars: 1) an external campaign and partnership, including the launch of our report, recent media campaign aimed at everyday New Yorkers and Champions program; 2) a citywide learning and stakeholder engagement program across the drivers which is under development per recent RFP; and early economic modeling to shift city resourcing and spending towards more prevention and proactive community based programs and policies, and away from costly and reactive healthcare spending, also under development.

“Carnegie Hall is thrilled to partner with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on their new Healthy NYC initiative,” said Sarah Johnson, Chief Education Officer, Carnegie Hall, and Director, Weill Music Institute. “Through the Hall’s long-standing programs like the Lullaby Project, our work across youth justice spaces, as well as our newer Well-Being Concert Series, we know that music can be a powerful tool to support wellness, connection, and joy. We look forward to working as a Healthy NYC Champion to support and further develop this new initiative.”

“The Columbia/Mailman School of Public Health is deeply committed to the goals of the HealthyNYC initiative: To bring essential knowledge and evidence to policies and programs that can raise the floor and the ceiling of health for all New Yorkers, at every age,” said Linda Fried, Dean of Columbia/Mailman School of Public Health. “With investments across the life course in the conditions essential to a healthy population, all New Yorkers can have the full opportunity for health at every age, and the prospect of health into the oldest ages.”

“As a foundation committed to equitable, affordable, accessible health care for everyone, the Commonwealth Fund is thrilled to support evidence-based efforts to improve health and extend life expectancy in New York City,” said Joseph R. Betancourt, M.D., M.P.H., president of the Commonwealth Fund.

“CUNY SPH is honored to partner with the City of New York on the HealthyNYC campaign,” said Ayman El-Mohandes, MBBCh, MD, MPH, Dean of CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy. “As the preeminent public school of public health dedicated to health equity and social justice, we are excited to contribute our support and expertise on the root causes contributing to shortened life spans for so many New Yorkers, and the inequities associated with disparities in life expectancy. Our research and advocacy around infant and maternal mortality, on food insecurity and its role in chronic disease outcomes, on COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy, health literacy, pandemic preparedness, and our collective understanding of the health impacts of climate change will be made available in this partnership. Together we can address the multifaceted drivers of health and help our fellow New Yorkers live their healthiest lives.”

“The health and wellbeing of our public workforce is directly tied to the health and wellbeing of New York,” said Henry Garrido, Executive Director of District Council 37. “Not only do our members provide the critical services every resident and visitor of the city relies on for safety and quality of life, they are the very neighbors who make up the fabric of our communities. DC 37 is proud to sign on to this initiative as a HealthyNYC Champion, and to push for progress on the factors that contribute to longer, better, healthier lives for all New Yorkers.”

“EmblemHealth is fully committed to supporting the HealthyNYC campaign to help the people of our city live longer, stronger, and healthier," said Karen Ignagni, CEO of EmblemHealth. "We will work alongside the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on prevention, wellness, and healthy living initiatives that will put New York City on the forefront of change.”

“HealthyNYC’s campaign to improve life expectancy and create a healthier city for all strongly aligns with our multi-year effort to reduce health disparities in communities of color by significantly increasing Medicaid payments to hospitals,” said Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) president Kenneth E. Raske. “HealthyNYC provides an important opportunity for hospitals to partner with key stakeholders to improve access to care for all New Yorkers. GNYHA thanks Mayor Adams for his health care leadership, and we look forward to working with the Mayor, Commissioner Vasan, the City health department, and our member hospitals to help New Yorkers live longer, healthier lives.”

“Human services workers help New Yorkers prevent and mitigate screenable cancers, cardiometabolic conditions, COVID-19, overdoses, suicides, maternal mortality, violence, and more,” said Michelle Jackson, Executive Director, Human Services Council. “This work occurs daily across HSC’s 170+ member organizations, but coordinated and equitable resource-sharing and partnerships across sectors could help translate these efforts into a meaningful increase in citywide life expectancy. HSC looks forward to supporting HealthyNYC in its goal to increase life expectancy to at least 83 years by 2030 through stronger partnerships focused on the leading causes of loss of life.”

“InUnity Alliance, the collective voice for Addiction and Mental Health services in New York State, commends Mayor Adams, Commissioner Vasan, and the NYC Council for prioritizing the health and well-being of the 8.5 million people who call New York City their home with the launch of the HealthyNYC initiative," said Jihoon Kim, CEO of InUnity Alliance. "We are honored to join this partnership as a HealthyNYC Champion at a critical time as rates of overdose and suicide deaths remain at unacceptably high levels. The concrete and achievable goals of reducing overdose deaths by 25% and suicide deaths by 10%, with the ultimate goal of increasing life expectancy to at least 83 years by 2030, are exactly what this moment calls for.”

“As a provider of peer and family support services being a HealthyNYC champion is important to NAMI-NYC because we believe in the power of community-driven efforts to enhance the health and longevity of New Yorkers,” said Lynnette Verges, COO of NAMI-NYC. “Mental health is a cornerstone of overall well-being, essential for a thriving, vibrant city. In collaboration with HealthyNYC, we are committed to fostering a city where mental health is a priority, is readily accessible and integrated into the overall health strategy.”

“We are proud of NYC DOHMH’s leadership on this crucial initiative,” said Ann Kurth, PhD, MPH, President, New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM). “At NYAM, we want all people to be at their healthiest across a long life — starting with a safe birth and aging well. Commissioner Vasan’s vision, team, and partners will strive to ensure that will be the case more often for all New Yorkers.”

“The Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) is proud to support the HealthyNYC initiative, which complements NEBGH’s efforts to advance excellence in health and achieve the highest value in healthcare delivery,” said Kim Thiboldeaux, CEO, Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH). “The HealthyNYC initiative aims to reduce premature death drivers such as chronic diseases, overdose, suicide, cancer, maternal mortality, violence, and COVID-19, with a goal to increase New Yorkers' life expectancy to 83 years by 2030. NEBGH champions efforts to improve health equity and provide valuable insights to address healthcare disparities. We look forward to collaborating with HealthyNYC on this important endeavor.”

“We are committed to addressing health disparities and expanding access to care services, which New York City’s campaign for healthier, longer lives represents,” said Grace Bonilla, President & CEO at United Way of New York City. “Through partnerships like this we continue to be a force multiplier for good, empowering New Yorkers with health equity tools and resources.”

“The American Heart Association welcomes this alignment with NYC leadership as we are announced as champions for the Healthy NYC campaign,” said Robin Vitale, Vice President, Community Impact, American Heart Association in New York City. “The Association’s mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We know that living a healthy lifestyle means being active, not smoking, getting good sleep, managing weight, controlling cholesterol, managing blood sugar and managing blood pressure. We also recognize the importance of mental wellbeing. These objectives have obvious synergy with the city of New York’s aspirations to improve health outcomes for everyone who lives, works, plays and prays across our neighborhoods. We look forward to advising the city on this work as we advance this mission.”

“NYU Langone Health, one of the nation’s premier health systems, is proud to champion HealthyNYC,” said Lorna Thorpe, PhD, MPH, Chair of the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone. “Through its unwavering dedication to excellence and equity in patient care, NYU Langone continues to improve the health and well-being of the communities they serve in New York City and beyond,” said Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH, Director of the Institute for Excellence in Health Equity and Professor of Population Health and Medicine at NYU Langone.

"The Milken Institute is committed to advancing solutions that bridge the gaps across the health, public health, and health-care continuum," said Esther Krofah, executive vice president of Milken Institute Health. “We are pleased to join this initiative as a HealthyNYC Champion because we know partnership is critical to identifying and implementing practical solutions that prevent disease and achieve better health outcomes.”

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