The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has launched a chronic disease strategy aimed at tackling racial and socioeconomic disparities in citywide health outcomes.
Released in January 2025, “Addressing Unacceptable Inequities: A Chronic Disease Strategy for New York City” aims to aid HealthyNYC — a New York City-run organization whose mission is to increase the average city life expectancy to age 83 by 2030 — by focusing on the root causes of reduced life expectancy, particularly among Black and Latino communities.
“We’re working to make those changes on a systems level for every New Yorker to turn the ship ever slowly in the direction to make systems more fair, more equitable and more just for every person. All that will lead to better health outcomes,” wrote Mayor Eric Adams in an opening letter preceding the strategy.
The strategy cites the 2023 NYC Community Health Survey, which found higher rates of diabetes and hypertension in Black, Latino and under-resourced communities in New York City compared to white and low-poverty populations. The NYC Health Department also reported that Black New Yorkers experience higher death rates from cardiometabolic conditions and screenable cancers than their white counterparts.
To address such disparities, the strategy proposes 19 cross-agency initiatives operating by means of policy changes, community outreach and healthcare access improvements. Key efforts include expanding access to fresh produce through a pilot voucher program, increasing enrollment in public health benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and investing in community wellness centers.
The city also plans to curb marketing of unhealthy foods and tobacco in low-income areas by mitigating donations and partnership agreements between producers of these products and city agencies. In addition, the strategy highlights potential improvements in access to parks and recreational facilities to encourage physical activity.
Adjunct Chemistry Professor Joseph Ocando, who worked in quality operations and technical services at Pfizer for nearly a decade, weighed in on the importance of high-quality public education in reducing disparities:
“ If [the city] can really focus on the academic scholarly studies and relate them to the public, then I think it’s great,” Ocando said.
Recognizing the role of education in promoting better health outcomes, the strategy aims to strengthen WorkWell NYC, a source of chronic disease education for city municipal employees, which has proven effective in promoting a healthy lifestyle. To address inequities in lung cancer rates among Black New Yorkers, the strategy also details plans to expand the distribution of educational pamphlets on lung cancer screenings.
Professor Ocando, who also conducted research on carcinogenesis for the American Health Foundation, pointed to the abundance of scientific literature on nutrition’s relation to cancer. Dr. Bruce Ames of the University of California, Berkeley, he explained, demonstrated how micronutrient deficiencies lead to DNA damage; meanwhile, Dr. Paul Telalay of Johns Hopkins University found that broccoli sprouts have cancer-preventing chemical properties.
Despite this evidence, Professor Ocando explained, nutritional education remains insufficient across health institutions. A survey conducted at over 100 medical schools found that, on average, medical students receive 19.6 hours of nutrition education throughout their four years.
“Our doctors are trained to treat illness, and they treat more for urgent care and symptoms,” Ocando said, noting a gap in focus on disease prevention.
He reflected on his experience teaching eighth grade in Washington Heights, on behalf of Teach for America, a program promoting equitable education in underserved public schools.
“One of the things I had the students do, which worked out well, was I had them keep a food journal,” he said. “I had them write down not just all the foods that they ate throughout the day, but they would also have to read the nutritional label to see how much sugar, how much protein they were getting, how many micronutrients.”
Whether or not the strategy succeeds will depend on continued collaboration between city agencies, community centers, healthcare providers, and any other partner organizations.
“ There’s so much potential in these areas. It’s all about education and doing the right thing by these communities,” Ocando said.
