Why take action to support public health?

Staying healthy is not only a necessity for individuals, but it is also a social responsibility. There are many things that communities can do to keep their populations healthy. New York is a leader in promoting a healthier environment, but also a community facing public health challenges like no other: • New York City faces the continuing threat of bioterrorism, having been a target of the anthrax attacks in 2001 and considered to be a future target for terrorist activity. • More than 1 million New Yorkers do not have health insurance, leaving them without access to basic health care services that most of us take for granted. • More than 1.17 million New Yorkers smoke • More than 24,000 New Yorkers die each year from heart disease; many of these deaths could be avoided. • An epidemic of diabetes, driven in large part by a rapid increase in obesity and a lack of physical activity, kills thousands of New Yorkers each year and disables tens of thousands more. • Nearly 400,000 adult New Yorkers have a treatable mental illness, and 100,000 children under 18 are seriously emotionally disturbed. Many of them are not being effectively treated. • 1,412 New Yorkers died in 2005 from HIV/AIDS.

A Success Story with a Long Way to Go…   The effort in NYC to control tobacco is one of the best examples of a successful public health intervention. A combination of strategies worked to decrease tobacco smoke and therefore reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and lung cancer. The increase in the City’s cigarette tax in July 2002, implementation of the Smoke Free Air Act in March 2003, the City’s nicotine patch distribution program and public education efforts about the health risks associated with tobacco did more to improve the health of NYC than any public health intervention in recent history. Due to the combined success of these interventions, NYC’s smoking rate declined by 11% from 2002 to 2003, the most significant decline in smoking ever recorded. The effort saved thousands of lives.