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Description
Mayor Walsh is committed to having an administration that is accountable to all residents, no matter who you are or where you live. Commissioners Corner introduces you to your city leaders, who will showcase their agencies and discuss information that is important to everyone in this great city. Host, Lois Leonard, is joined by Monica Valdes Lupi, Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission, to talk about your health and how the City of Boston plays a role.
A
Welcome
to
commissioner's
corner
I'm,
your
host
Louis
Leonard,
and
today
we're
going
to
talk
about
your
health
and
how
the
city
plays
a
role.
Feeling
good
is
not
only
vital
for
us
individually,
but
our
community
thrives
when
we
are
all
at
our
physical
and
mental
best.
But
how
can
the
city
affect
our
health?
Today?
We've
invited
Monica,
Valdes
Lupi
executive
director
of
the
Boston
Public
Health
Commission.
A
Previously
she
served
as
deputy
commissioner
for
the
Massachusetts
Department
of
Public
Health
and
for
six
years
with
chief
of
staff
at
the
Boston
Public
Health
Commission
thanks
very
much
Monica,
it's
great
to
meet
you.
We
appreciate
you
joining
us
today.
Thank
you,
yeah,
you
know.
Boston's
Public,
Health
Department
is
the
oldest
in
the
country
which
I
found
very
impressive.
I
was
very
proud
of
that.
You
have
a
budget
of
over
160
million
dollars.
You
oversee
1,100
employees
tell
us.
How
do
you
keep
that
all
organized
and.
B
The
the
Health
Department,
the
the
Commission,
is
the
local
health
department
for
the
City
of
Boston.
As
you
said,
and
it's
a
fantastic
place
to
work.
We
have
six
bureaus,
which
is
how
we
stay
organized,
and
so
those
programmatic
areas
include
Boston
emergency
medical
services,
homeless,
services,
Community
Initiatives,
Bureau,
child
adolescent,
Family,
Health
recovery
services
and
infectious
disease
bureau,
and
so
across.
Those
six
bureaus
is
where
our
staff
sit
and
they
do
the
really
hard
work
of
promoting
a
good
health
for
all
residents
and
a.
A
Lot
of
behind
the
scenes
things
that
we
don't
even
know
about
it's
interesting,
very
interesting.
You
came
on
board
about
a
year
and
a
half
ago
when
you
did
join
the
bphc.
What
did
you
find
was
your
biggest
challenge
that
you
felt
was
the
toughest
job
that
you
had
ahead
of
you
so.
B
We
know
that,
in
terms
of
leading
causes
of
premature
deaths,
that
unintentional
over
to
opioid
overdoses
is
the
third
leading
cause
of
premature
death
in
the
city
of
Boston.
So
the
first
is
cancer,
followed
by
heart
disease
and
then
unintentional
overdoses.
So
clearly,
this
is
an
issue
that
the
mayor
has
been
leading
on
both
locally
and
nationally,
and
it's
an
issue
that
many
health
officials
across
the
nation
are
battling
so
really
looking
at
what
we
do
now
around
substance
use
disorders
from
prevention,
treatment,
recovery,
support
services
is
one
of
the
top
health
issues.
B
We're
also
doing
a
lot
of
work.
Re-Energizing
are
collaborative
partnerships
with
hospitals
and
health
centers
everyone's
very
focused
on
improving
population,
health
and
then
the
third
area
is
around
the
issue
of
health
equity.
And
how
do
we
ensure
that
we're
creating
opportunities
for
everyone
in
the
city
to
be
healthy,
sure.
A
B
When
we
think
about
prevention
and
Public
Health,
we
think
about
prevention
in
two
different
ways.
So
what
you've
talked
about
in
terms
of
overdose
prevention
is
what
we
consider
secondary
prevention.
So
once
we
have
a
client
or
a
patient
who
might
be
addicted
to
a
substance,
we
have
several
programs
that
are
called
harm
reduction
programs
to
try
to
link
them
into
care.
We
run
up
a
needle
exchange
program.
We
also
run
a
program
called
paths
which
is
a
one-stop
referral
site
for
family
members.
B
People
who
are
using
the
clinical
providers
also
call
paths,
and
this
year
we
were
actually
able
to
expand
the
services
with
some
infusion
of
additional
resources
and
we'll
be
able
to
expand
in
this
next
fiscal
year.
So
we
do
a
lot
of
work,
for
example,
with
business
businesses
to
train
their
staff
on
overdose
prevention,
how
to
use
narcan
or
naloxone
to
reverse
overdoses.
B
So
clearly,
this
is
something
that
impacts
all
parts
of
the
neighborhood
and
we've
got
your
engagement
from
family
members,
people
who
may
be
addicted,
and
also
business
sector
and
clinical
partners
around
secondary
prevention.
On
the
primary
prevention
front.
How
do
you
prevent
people,
particularly
young
people
and
adolescents,
from
using
to
begin
with?
We
have
a
lot
of
work
that
we
do
through
our
school-based
health
centers
and
a
curriculum
that
we
have
in
schools
focus
not
only
on
opioids
but
tobacco
prevention,
alcohol
prevention
and
other
substances.
B
So
we
work
really
collaboratively
with
the
Boston
Public
Schools
and
our
school-based
health
clinics,
and
we
have
a
strong
peer
leadership
group.
So
many
young
people
that
we
work
with
across
the
Boston
Public
Schools
mayor
Walsh,
and
he
is
a
director
for
the
mayor's
office
of
recovery
services,
has
recently
convened
an
advisory
group.
B
That's
advising
the
mayor
on
prevention
right
now,
focus
primarily
on
young
people
and
adolescents
and
we're
doing
that
with
the
support
of
Blue,
Cross,
Blue,
Shield
foundation,
and
so
we'll
be
working
with
it's
a
really
robust
group
of
interested
stakeholders
to
look
at
the
issue
of
primary
prevention
among
our
young
people,
our
students
and
we'll
be
issuing
a
road
map
recommendations
in
the
fall.
It.
A
B
Think
when
I
go
to
community
meetings
and
I,
think
of
even
in
my
own
interactions
on
a
personal
level
with
friends
and
family,
that
I
haven't
met
anyone
in
the
city
or
the
state
who
hasn't
been
touched
by
addiction.
And
so
we
know
that
language
matters
and
we're
doing
a
lot
of
work
with
the
mayor
and
the
office
of
recovery
services
and
other
stakeholders
around
stigma
and
really
making
sure
that
people
know
that
language
matters.
And
when
we
talk
about
people
who
are
battling
addiction,
that
it
is
seen
as
a
chronic
disease.
B
Just
like
someone
who
might
have
diabetes
or
hypertension
and
to
make
sure
that
we're
providing
them
with
the
treatment
and
the
support
services
that
they
need
to
deal
with.
This
chronic
condition.
It's
not
a
moral
failing,
and
we
know
that
addiction
does
not
discriminate.
So
we
know
so
many
people
from
different
racial
and
ethnic
groups,
people
who
have
resources
to
put
their
children
and
family
members
into
treatment
and
people
who
have
no
resources
to
cover
critical
treatment
services.
A
B
Think
it
is
and
I
think
people
really
are
being
more
thoughtful
about
this,
because
it
could
be
your
spouse,
it
could
be
your
child
and
so
to
think
of
the
way
that
we
describe
people
who
are
really
battling
a
chronic
condition
is
something
that
we're
working
on
at
the
Commissioner.
The
mayor.
We
have
this
amazing
collaborative
of
health,
health
centers.
We
actually
have
the
largest
number
of
health
centers
in
the
city.
We
have
over
two
dozen
that's
I've.
A
B
C
C
That's
probably
the
most
important
thing
I'll
state.
Today.
We
need
to
continue
to
work
all
together
as
one
team
we
might
have
disagreements
along
the
way
by
the
end
of
the
day.
It's
about
reducing
the
numbers.
Make
me
unable
it's
safer
and
I
know
one
thing
that
this
work
that
we're
doing
will
pay
off
what's
happening
in
the
city
of
Boston.
Now
violent
crime
is
down
so
of
the
number
of
arrests
that
we
have
in
the
city
over
the
last
three
years,
we're
down
nearly
forty
percent
in
arrests.
C
B
Since
it
was
launched
at
the
Whittier
Street
Health
Center,
it's
been
going
well.
This
is
the
second
year
we've
been
able
to
expand
on
the
work
from
the
first
phase
of
the
project,
so
we
had
additional
resources
provided
by
Children's,
Hospital,
Boston
and
partners
health
care
system,
and
we
were
able
to
add
that
to
the
the
resources
that
we
got
from
Mayor
Walsh
and
we
have
five
teams
across
the
city
and
the
teams
are
made
of
a
community
health
center
and
a
community-based
organization.
B
These
teams
are
in
Jamaica,
Plain,
Dorchester,
Roxbury,
East,
Boston
and
Mattapan,
and
what
the
teams
do
is
when
there
is
a
call
that
comes
in
to
9-1-1
and
involves
shooting
or
stabbing
or
some
other
type
of
community
violence.
We
deploy
the
neighborhood
trauma
teams
to
provide
that
immediate
response
on
the
ground
to
help
provide
information
about
the
resources
that
are
available
to
bystanders
and
families
that
have
witnessed,
or
have
been
impacted
by
that
violence.
So
that's
the
response
piece
of
the
program
and
then
the
second
piece
is
the
recovery
support
services.
B
So
through
the
Health
Center
partnership,
the
the
community-based
responders
actually
link
those
victims
and
other
individuals
who
are
interested
in
tapping
into
behavioral
health
supports
at
the
community
health
centers.
They
do
that
referral
piece
to
the
CHC,
so
unfortunately
it
has
been
a
busy
time
for
the
neighborhood
trauma
teams.
This
is
what
we
see
typically
happening
in
terms
of
responses
and
violence
over
the
summer
time
tends
to
spike
because
of
the
warmer
weather
people.
Are
you
kids,
out
of
school?
Well,
a
little.
C
A
B
That's
a
really
a
difficult
question,
having
been
here
at
the
city,
I
started
out:
Public
Health
Careers
16
years
ago
at
the
health
department,
and
the
way
we
were
looking
at
differences
in
health
outcomes
was
really
looking
at
these
persistent
disparities,
so
differences
in
infant
mortality
rates
between
blacks
and
Latinos
compared
to
white
women
differences
in
accessing
care
generally.
So
what
I
can
say
is
that
we
have
seen
positive
trends
in
terms
of
health
outcomes
because
of
a
whole
host
of
interventions
that
we've
done
with
in
partnership
with
hospitals.
B
So
really
looking
at
not
just
when
people
are
presenting
in
a
Health
Center
or
a
hospital,
but
really
looking
beyond
those
clinic
walls,
because
we
know
that
more
than
80%
of
what
impacts
an
individual's
health
is
really
not
about
their
interaction
with
the
medical
or
healthcare
community.
It
really
is
about
the
housing
that
they
live
in,
having
access
to
safe
transportation,
having
a
job
with
benefits
that
pays
well
and
has
opportunities
for
wellness.
Education
is
another
factor,
so
these
things
that
are
described
in
public
health
is
the
social
determinants
of
health.
B
So
another
example
is
around
vision,
zero,
which
is
a
partnership
that
we're
involved
in
with
Boston
EMS,
the
police
department,
transportation
department,
looking
at
pedestrian
and
bicycle
bicycling
injuries
and
really
zeroing
in
on
those
hotspots
and
ensuring
that
we're
not
only
putting
out
prevention
messages
about
how
to
ride
your
bike
safely.
Like
don't
worry
your
headset
or
no
texting
while
you're
driving,
but
really
looking
at
what
are
those
things
that
we
can
do
to
create
improvements.
B
For
example,
the
passage
of
the
the
new
ordinance
to
reduce
the
speed
limit
to
25
miles
per
hour,
so
those
goes
up
policy
and
environmental
changes,
but
that
can
contribute
to
you
know
an
individual
taking
their
own
sort
of
personal
responsibility.
We
need
to
as
a
city
make
sure
that
we're
maximizing
all
those
policy
levers.
What.
A
B
One
one
suggestion
I
would
make
is,
and
we
have
a
really
great
network
of
community
champions
and
health
champions
across
our
neighborhoods,
but
one
thing:
I
talk
about
with
our
residents
is
to
become
engaged
and
partner,
with
not
only
the
health
department,
but
your
community
health,
centers
and
other
community-based
organizations
that
are
working
to
promote
health.
One
example
that
we
have
now
is
that
we
have
created
a
health
equity,
Advisory
Committee.
B
So
if
you
go
to
our
website
WTHI
org,
we
have
an
application
process
and
we're
trying
to
stand
up
a
new
advisory
group
to
help
advise
the
health
department
as
we're
looking
at
the
health
data.
Really.
What
do
we
do
with
that
data
to
make
sure
that
we're
developing
programs
and
policies
that
are
really
addressing
community
needs
and
priorities?
So
you
know
this
is
one
way
that
I
think
community
members
and
individuals
can
help
us
is
to
become
engaged
and
to
be
active.
B
The
city
of
Boston,
we
have
practically
universal
coverage
of
97%
of
our
population
here
in
the
city
is
insured
and
you
know
I
worry
about
the
erosion
of
access
to
care
with
what
we
see
happening
at
the
federal
level.
So
I
feel
like
we're
really
blessed
very
fortunate
in
the
city
to
have
an
advocate
like
the
mayor,
who
is
working
hard
to
ensure
that
we
remain
the
healthiest
city
that
we
can
be
and.
B
And
he's
been
a
leader
and
I
think
he's
partnered
well
with
Governor
Baker,
especially
as
we're
looking
at
the
gains
that
we've
made
in
the
state
with
health
insurance
coverage
and
ensuring
that
people
get
access
to
critical
care.
So
it's
important
for
us
to
hear
from
our
residents
about
how
how
this
has
been
important
to
them
to
be
able
to
go
to
their
primary
care
doctor
at
the
hospital
or
health
center
and
how
that's
helped
them
be
well,
is
important
and
I.
Think
there's
no
better
advocate
than
the
residents
themselves
is.
B
I
definitely
think
that's
the
case
and
we
have
a
really
strong
peer
leadership
Institute.
We
use
them
for
many
of
our
focus
groups
and
they
can
be
champions
for
their
own
health
and
their
family's
health.
So
I
definitely
think
working
with
our
young
people
in
the
cities
is
another
way
to
get
the
message
out
and
to
create
really
strategic
messages
about
the
importance
of
health
sure
it
gets.
A
A
Thanks
again
for
joining
us
Monica,
we
really
appreciate
it
and
thank
you.
Our
viewers
for
joining
us
today
as
well
I
encourage
everyone
to
go
to
the
Boston
Public
Health
Commission
website
at
BPHC
org
and
get
informed.
Your
health
is
important
to
all
of
us.
I'm
Louis,
Leonard
and
I'll
see
you
next
time
on
commissioners
corner.