New York City has racial health disparities, with Black and Hispanic New Yorkers experiencing higher rates of illness and premature death than White New Yorkers. These disparities are rooted in social and economic inequities. 

Causes

• Structural discrimination: Decades of discrimination have created barriers to accessing the social determinants of health. 

• Poverty: Poor neighborhoods have higher rates of illness and premature death. 

• COVID-19: The pandemic had a disproportionate impact on low-income communities of color. 

Examples:

• Death rates: In poor neighborhoods, the Black death rate is 25% higher than the white death rate. 

• HIV diagnoses: The rate of new HIV diagnoses is about 6 times as high among Black people as among Whites. 

• Diabetes: Hispanic New Yorkers are more than twice as likely to have diabetes as White New Yorkers. 

• Maternal health: Black birthing New Yorkers face higher rates of maternal death and severe complications. 

 
Here are some of my legislative proposals to address health disparities in New York City:

 

I will propose legislation requiring hospitals to prepare and annually submit an equity report to include an analysis of health status and access to care disparities based on specified categories, including age, sex, and race. Also requires hospitals to prepare and submit a health equity plan to reduce disparities.

I will propose legislation to redress the effects of environmental injustice on disproportionately affected communities by requiring analysis of potential negative environmental or public health effects to disproportionately impacted communities and identifying recommendations for reducing environmental health disparities.

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I will propose legislation to mitigate the environmental and health effects of transportation systems to reduce health disparities in disproportionately impacted communities resulting from increased exposure to motor vehicle fleet emissions.

I will propose legislation to update vital record information to include mortality rates based on age and sex to help track and diagnose disparities as well as inform solutions to socioeconomic inequalities.

I will propose legislation requiring hospital community benefits plans to describe activities a hospital is undertaking to address health equity, reduce health disparities, and improve community health.

I will propose legislation requiring nonprofit hospitals to report their efforts to track and reduce health disparities in their communities.