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From YouTube: Advancing Health Equity in Boston Conference
Description
Mayor Wu speaks at the Boston Public Health Commission's Advancing Health Equity in Boston conference. The conference, held at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, aims to envision a healthier and more equitable future by building on lessons learned through the COVID-19 pandemic.
A
Good
morning
and
welcome
to
your
library,
the
Boston
Public
Library
is
thrilled
that
you
have
chosen
us
as
your
venue
for
today's
important
conversations
and
Gathering.
It
is
so
great
to
see
many
people
in
three
dimensions.
Some
people
I
haven't
seen
in
quite
some
time
as
you
came
in
through
the
McKim
building
entrance
here
on
Copley
Square.
A
couple
of
you
may
have
noticed
that
above
the
doorway
on
the
facade
is
engraved
dedicated
to
the
advancement
of
learning,
and
so
I
can
think
of
no
better
place
for
today's
conversations
than
the
Boston
Public
Library.
A
So
I
know
you
do
not
need
me
to
tell
you
this,
but
please
do
not.
Let
us
squander
our
joint
opportunity,
our
our
residents,
our
visitors,
need
trusted
information
and
need
our
skills
and
ability
so
that
they
can
live
their
Better
Lives.
You
will
have
a
few
breaks
throughout
the
day.
Please
enjoy
the
rest
of
the
library.
There
are
spots
where
there
are
more
geared
towards
respite
and
reflection
than
formal
learning.
This
is
your
library,
please
enjoy
the
day
and
we
are
so
thrilled
to
have
you
here.
Thank
you.
A
C
Okay,
good
morning,
everyone
on
behalf
of
the
Boston
Public
Health
commission
I'd,
like
to
begin
by
thanking
you
all
for
being
here
and
welcoming
you
to
this
Gathering
I
also
want
to
give
a
special
thanks
to
Dr
Catherine
hall
for
bringing
us
together
today.
I
think
this
has
really
been
a
huge
lift.
Thank
you.
C
And
this
has
truly
been
a
collaborative
effort,
so
I
want
to
thank
our
co-sponsors
again,
not
just
about
this
one
convening
it's
really
about.
How
do
you
Advance
Health
Equity?
We
need
Collective
action
and
we
need
sponsorship
and
we
need
you
know
to
work
together
and
we
need
partnership.
So
I
appreciate
our
co-sponsors
in
this
effort
and
every
other
effort
that
we
work
on
here
in
Boston.
I'd
also
like
to
give
special
acknowledgment
to
our
partners
in
government
who
will
be
here
with
us
either
they're
here.
C
Some
of
them
are
here
now,
and
some
of
them
will
be
with
us
later
today.
Mayor
Wu
will
be
here
later
this
morning
and
we'll
you
know
thrilled
to
have
her
join
us
in
this
effort.
The
Massachusetts
state
Secretary
of
Health
and
Human
Services
Kate
Walsh,
will
also
be
here
after
lunch,
Senator
Liz
Miranda
will
be
on
a
panel
later
this
afternoon.
We
will
also
see
our
state
dph
Commissioner
of
Public
Health,
Dr,
Robert
Goldstein
will
be
with
us
and
a
number
of
our
city
council,
the
Kill
City
councilors,
will
be
here.
C
So
president
Ed
Flynn
McKenzie
Bach
Michael
flatery.
We
look
forward
to
seeing
all
of
them
as
well
as
a
number
of
cabinet
members
of
Mayor
Wu's
I
mentioned
all
of
them,
because
yes,
I,
think
it's
important
to
acknowledge
our
appointed
elected
officials,
but
I
think
it's
important
for
us
to
recognize
that
without
political
support,
we
cannot
do
this
work
and
we
do
have
a
lot
of
support
here
in
our
city
in
our
state.
We
can
do
this
and
we
can
do
it
together.
C
How
can
we
take
the
lessons
that
we
should
have
learned
in
the
past
three
years
and
actually
apply
them
to
the
pervasive
inequities
that
I'll
talk
about
a
little
bit
this
morning
and,
of
course,
continue
to
address?
Covid-19,
especially
as
the
emergency,
the
Federal
Emergency
ends,
I
will
share
that.
From
my
perspective,
one
of
the
most
valuable
lessons
that
we've
learned
we've
learned
during
covid-19
is
how
effective
we
can
be
when
we
are
actually
aligned
and
when
we
have
a
unified
mission,
that
is
when
we
are
at
our
most
powerful
and
our
strongest
and
I.
C
One
of
my
goals
when
I
started
as
commissioner
of
Public
Health,
was
to
find
new
ways
to
Advance
Health
Equity,
to
address
structural
racism
and
systemic
oppression
in
our
city
and
I
would
say
that
one
of
our
most
important
goals
today
and
it's
your
mission,
if
you,
if
you
decide
to
accept
it,
is
that
we
need
to
think
about
what
we
need
to
be
doing
differently.
What
is
it
that
we
need
to
do?
That's
Visionary.
What
do
we
need
to
do?
C
That's
unique
that
we
haven't
potentially
done
before
and
then
what
do
we
need
to
do
collectively,
so
to
start
this
process
to
get
our
juices
flowing?
If
you
will
I'm
going
to
present
a
few
highlights
from
our
most
recent
health
of
Boston
data,
so
the
health
of
Boston
is
produced
by
the
Boston
Public
Health
commission
and
it
provides
a
broad
overview
of
the
health
status
of
our
city.
So
it's
really
critical
to
how
we
determine
what
interventions
need
to
be
implemented.
C
So
many
of
you
are
probably
familiar
with
the
data
released
back
in
2012
and
that
data
noted
that
life
expectancy
in
Boston
varied
by
as
much
as
33
years
by
geographic
location,
so
highest
life
expectancy
was
noted
in
a
census
track
and
Back
Bay
lowest
life
expectancy
was
noted.
Sorry
lowest
life
expectancy
was
noted
in
a
census
tract
in
Roxbury
and
that
census
Tech
was
actually
between
Mass
Ave,
Dudley,
Shawmut
and
Albany
Street.
C
For
those
of
you
who
are
familiar
and
essentially
in
Back
Bay,
life
expectancy
was
92
years
of
age
and
in
Roxbury
at
this
particular
census.
Tract
life
expectancy
was
approximately
59
years,
fully
noted
in
the
media
that
these
data
have
been
quoted.
Frequently
I
mean
everybody
sort
of
repeats.
This
data
and
even
I've,
noticed
it
as
of
like
a
few
weeks
ago
that
it
was
in
one
of
one
of
the
newspapers,
but
I
think
we
need
to
rise
that
these
data
were
actually
derived
about
15
to
20
years
ago.
C
So,
where
are
we
let's
fast
forward?
Much
has
changed,
though
some
things
have
actually
remained
the
same.
If
you
look
at
Back
Bay,
there
is
a
census
tract
which
still
has
one
of
the
highest
life
expectancies
in
Boston
that,
like
the
average
life
expectancy,
is
almost
92
years.
Median
income
is
more
than
141
000
per
year.
91
percent
of
residents
have
college
degrees,
and
the
majority
of
residents
in
this
census
tract
are
white.
C
In
contrast,
what
about
Roxbury
what's
going
on
now?
So
Roxbury
is
a
neighborhood
steeped
in
black
history,
and
this
picture
is
of
Nubian
Square.
For
those
of
you
who
are
familiar
but
lowest,
life
expectancy
in
Boston
is
still
in
a
census
track
in
Roxbury.
It's
actually
a
different
census
track,
but
it's
inclusive,
Albany,
Street,
Camden
and
Greenville
streets.
For
those
of
you
who
are
familiar
median
income
is
30
less
than
Back
Bay.
C
C
Let's
just
think
about
that.
So
it's
33
now
we're
at
23..
So
maybe
one
might
say
things
have
improved,
but
this
is
still
an
extreme
disparity
driven
by
structural
racism
and
residential
segregation.
So
we
have
a
lot
of
work
to
do,
but
the
problem
isn't
just
in
one
neighborhood
and
I.
Think
that's
important
for
us
to
understand.
C
Let's
zoom
out
and
do
life
expectancy
by
neighborhood
or
zip
code
by
neighborhood,
the
lowest
life
expectancy
is
actually
in
Mattapan
77
years,
followed
by
Dorchester
Roxbury,
where
average
life
expectancy
is
78
years
per
age,
but
I
think
what
we
need
to
understand
is
Within
These,
larger
neighborhoods,
they're
micro
areas.
There
are
pockets
of
deprivation,
small
areas
of
inequity
where
life
expectancy
is
significantly
lower
than
the
surrounding
areas
within
those
neighborhoods,
and
you
need
to
have
that
more
nuanced
data
that
I
showed
you
previously
in
order
to
guide
intervention
development.
C
C
So,
let's
turn
to
life
expectancy
pre-covered
and
during
covet,
comparing
2019
to
2020
and
looking
at
race
and
ethnicity.
These
data
provide
a
general
sense
of
the
impact
of
kova
19
on
lifespan
in
Boston
and
again
very
important
data
for
us
to
understand
where
we
are.
Overall,
life
expectancy
in
Boston
fell
approximately
3.1
years,
so
it's
79
years
between
2019
and
2020.
among
black
Boston
residents,
who
have
the
lowest
life
expectancy.
Citywide
life
expectancy
fell
4.4
years
to
71.8
years
or
72
years.
C
Turning
to
premature
mortality,
which
is
basically
looking
at
the
rate
of
debt
before
64
years
of
age,
it's
an
important
marker
for
early
death
and
for
potential
areas
of
early
interventions
from
2017
to
2021
the
age
adjusted
premature
mortality
rate
per
100,
000
Boston
residents
increased
by
12
percent.
During
that
same
time,
span
black
residents
experienced
a
33
37
increase
in
premature
mortality
and
at
the
same
time,
there
was
no
significant
change
in
the
rate
of
premature
mortality
amongst
Asian,
latinx
or
white
residents.
C
What
about
pervasive
inequities
within
disease
entities,
which
is
really
important
part
of
what
we
should
be
talking
about
here?
So
if
you
just
look
at
cancer
in
2021
among
all
race
and
ethnicities,
the
overall
cancer
mortality
rate
was
highest
amongst
black
men.
The
mortality
rate
due
to
prostate
cancer
was
also
highest
amongst
black
men.
The
breast
cancer
mortality
rate
was
highest
amongst
black
women.
C
C
So
looking
at
all
these
data.
It's
clear
we
have
work
to
do
throughout
today's
discussions.
I
want
to
challenge
everyone
here
to
think
about
how
we
can
put
what
we've
learned
over
the
course
of
the
past
three
years
into
action
to
Advance
Health
Equity
I
know
that
many
of
you
in
this
room
have
been
doing
this
work
for
a
long
time,
but
we
need
to
sustain
our
momentum
and
we
need
new
energy
to
tackle
these
pervasive
issues.
So
today
is
a
renewed
and
Collective
call
to
action.
C
I
just
want
to
say
a
few
words
you
know
when
mayor
Wu
came
into
office
and
in
2021
many
of
my
colleagues
at
that
time
were
actually
being
disempowered.
That's
these
are
commissioners
of
Public
Health
around
the
country.
They
were
being
demoted.
They
were
being
removed
from
their
positions.
It
was
really
a
tragic
time
where
there
was
a
lot
of
misinformation.
Disinformation,
anti-science
I,
want
to
say
the
mayor.
Wu
actually
did
the
opposite
here
in
Boston.
C
C
By
elevating
the
Boston
Public
Health
commission
to
her
cabinet
and
that
hadn't
happened
in
a
long
time
and
she
continues
to
prioritize
Public
Health,
her
focus
on
schools,
clean
air,
housing,
improving
the
built,
Health
environments,
so
parks
and
bikeable
roads
really
shows
you
the
strong
partner
in
creating
a
culture
of
Health
here
in
Boston,
and
her
continued
leadership
will
be
vital
to
our
efforts
to
Advance
Health
Equity.
So
please
join
me
in
welcoming
mayor
Michelle,
Wu.
D
Good
morning,
everyone
I
am
so
delighted
to
see
you
this
morning
and
so
grateful
for
all
the
work
that
you
do
across
our
city
and
Beyond.
As
you
can
hear,
a
cold
from
a
couple
days
ago
is
still
sitting
in
my
childhood
asthma
being
triggered,
and
so
I
will
continue
to
be
drinking
lots
of
water
and
sounding
like
I,
have
a
frog
in
my
throat,
but
thank
you
so
much
for
taking
the
time
to
be
part
of
this
very,
very
important,
convening
the
first
major.
D
Public
Health
commission
has
held
since
the
pandemic
and
a
time
for
you
all
to
be
thanked
profusely
because
I
know
it
has
been
a
very,
very
difficult
several
years
on
top
of
Hero's
work,
long
before
coven
19.
of
our
administration,
led
by
and
driven
by
incredible
leaders
like
the
nationally
renowned
and
fearless
Dr,
vasila
ojukutu,
and
so
many
of
our
cabinet
members
and
her
and
her
entire
team.
D
D
I
found
myself
walking
up
five
floors
of
stairs
every
day
to
get
up
to
the
Vos
fifth
floor
at
Boston,
Medical
Center.
At
that
time,
that's
where
the
medical
legal
partnership
was
based
and
as
a
law
student
I
was
trying
to
find
ways
to
make
meaning.
In
a
very
difficult
time.
In
my
family's
life,
my
mom
had
been
recently
diagnosed
with
late
onset
schizophrenia.
I
had
spent
the
last
probably
a
year
and
a
half
really
flailing
and
and
struggling
in
how,
as
a
20-something
year
old,
to
begin
raising.
D
My
family
story
is
one
that
shows
how
much
additional
to
just
the
the
exact
diagnosis
and
medical
treatment
permeates,
how
families
perceive
and
respond
to
and
are
able
to
access
care
stigma
and
the
very
very
significant
and
important
cultural
conversations
and
Outreach.
That
has
to
be
part
of
all
that
we're
doing
the
entire
family
constellation
and
how
issues
of
Housing
and
work
and
educational
access
feed
right
back
into
whether
medical
treatment
is
actually
going
to
be
effective.
D
We
are
blessed
every
time.
I
walk
into
a
national
meeting
with
Mayors
from
across
the
country,
I
feel
a
little
bit
guilty
because
we
are
sitting
and
managing
many
of
the
same
deep
challenges,
but
with
so
many
more
resources
here
and
so
many
more
Partnerships
and
so
I
want
to.
Thank
you
all
for
being
right
as
part
of
our
decision
making
here
in
Boston.
D
D
Talking
about
very
important
and
Urgent
issues
like
climate
in
terms
of
the
numbers
or
sea
level
rise
or
chance
of
a
100
Year
storm
having
an
impact
on
our
communities,
doesn't
reach
or
match
the
urgency
that
our
communities
feel
when
you
talk
about
it.
Instead
in
the
public
health
impacts
felt
immediately
of
air
quality,
of
asthma,
of
pollution
of
water
quality
and
housing
triggers
that
housing
conditions
that
trigger
larger
illnesses.
D
And
so
we
know
that
the
work
that
Dr,
ojukutu
and
her
team
are
leading
in
terms
of
reaching
out
to
our
communities
in
digital
world,
in
which
we're
opening
up
doors
to
every
single
person
in
Boston
and
layering
in
health,
mental
health
connection,
building
back
our
Workforce.
That
is
going
to
be
the
key
to
making
Boston
the
city
that
is
greatness
in
America,
but
also
first
for
families.
D
D
You
all
to
partner
with
us
on
and
I'm
so
so
grateful
for
all
that
you
do
all
the
ways
that
you
are
not
only
doing
your
professional
work
and
involved
in
your
own
jobs,
but
taking
the
time
to
then
invest
in
strengthening
this
larger
Public,
Health
Community
in
Boston
and
wearing
so
many
Civic
and
volunteer
hats
and
getting
involved
with
us
here
in
the
city
of
Boston.
So
thank
you
so
much
for
all
that
you're
doing.