Resolution calling on the Governor to declare anti-Black racism a public health issue.

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Res. No. 126 ..Title Resolution calling on the Governor to declare anti-Black racism a public health issue. ..Body By Council Members Louis, Narcisse, Salaam, Hudson, Mealy, Brooks-Powers, Williams, Banks and Feliz Whereas, According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), racism can adversely affect both the mental and physical health of individuals; and Whereas, Both structural and interpersonal racism can play roles in causing health inequity; and Whereas, The CDC defines social determinants of health (SDOH) as nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes, such as political systems, social norms, housing, education, wealth, and employment; and Whereas, As part of its Healthy People 2030 initiative, the United States Department of Health and Human Services has identified SDOH as one of three priority areas; and Whereas, The American Medical Association (AMA) published a study in 2021 comparing all-cause mortality rates and inequities between Black and white populations across the 30 most populous cities in the United States; and Whereas, The AMA's study found that the all-cause mortality rate among Black populations was 24 percent higher than among white populations nationally, resulting in 74,402 excess deaths of Black individuals annually; and Whereas, The New York State Office of Health Equity and Human Rights defines health disparities as measureable differences in health status, access to care, and quality of care as determined by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, preferred language other than English, gender expression, disability status, aging population, immigration status, and socioeconomic status; and Whereas, With regard to access to care and quality of care, there has long been a history of medical mistrust among Black individuals; and Whereas, Historical mistreatment of Black people in medicine and science has included the forced sterilization of Black women, experimentation on slaves, and even the withholding medical treatment for Black men during the Tuskegee syphilis study, in order for doctors to be able to track the course of the disease; and Whereas, A study published in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) found that Black patients are regularly undertreated for pain in comparison to white patients; and Whereas, Another study published in the NLM found that about half of all medical students and residents held one or more incorrect beliefs about biological differences between Black and white patients; and Whereas, The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) has been making efforts to mitigate and prevent health disparities for many years; and Whereas, As a part of these efforts, NYSDOH has been publishing community-based health equity reports since 2007; and Whereas, The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), has been publishing an ongoing series on health disparities within the City; and Whereas, In its initial report titled Disparities in Life Expectancy and Death in New York City, DOHMH found that while people living in poor neighborhoods have higher death rates than those living in wealthier neighborhoods, Black New Yorkers have the highest death rates in every neighborhood irrespective of the neighborhood's economic makeup; and Whereas, The report found that the difference in death rates between Black and white residents has remained relatively unchanged since 2003 and, furthermore, Black, Hispanic, and Asian New Yorkers are more likely to die prematurely than white New Yorkers, regardless of overall neighborhood income; and Whereas, In 2021, the New York City Board of Health passed a resolution recognizing the impact of racism on health during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond; and Whereas, The declaration of anti-Black racism as a public health issue at the state level could aid in efforts to promote health equity for Black New Yorkers, both at the state and local level, by increasing awareness and legitimizing anti-Black racism as a major cause of health inequity; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Governor to declare anti-Black racism a public health issue. WD 10/23/2023 LS 14362

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