Boston Recognized for 'Remarkable' Strides in Improving Public Health

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Earlier this week, the Big Cities Health Coalition released the 6th edition of the Big Cities Health Inventory, a report that provides a snapshot of health outcomes across 26 major cities. This year, the Inventory recognized Boston for its remarkable strides in improving public health outcomes for city residents. In addition to notable decreases in Boston’s diabetes mortality rate, heart disease mortality and cancer mortality, the report included Boston as one of three cities featured in a case study for its efforts to reduce and prevent violence through innovative, trauma-informed approaches.

”Our multi-pronged approach to improving public health throughout the City of Boston is working, and I thank the public health officials, medical personnel in our state-of-the-art institutions and our residents for helping us grow into a stronger, healthier Boston,” said Mayor Walsh. “I commend the Boston Public Health Commission for their great work in partnership with committed city agencies, community based organizations, local businesses and philanthropic institutions. Together we have achieved world-class health care in our city, and look forward to continuing our commitment to a healthier generation of Bostonians.”

The study praised efforts by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), along with the Boston Police Department and other city agencies, to address and prevent youth violence, and noted that Boston “is beginning to see evidence that this multi-sector approach to violence prevention is having an effect.” Specifically, the Big Cities Health Inventory reported that nonfatal, assault-related gunshots/stabbing and emergency department visits have fallen since 2008; and that these same rates have also declined for Black and Latino residents. Additionally, from 2011 through the end of 2014, homicide rates have decreased by 16 percent, and overall violent crime has decreased by nine percent.”

The Big Cities Health Inventory shows how our efforts to tackle violence in the city through a trauma-informed approach have made an impact in our communities,” said Dr. Huy Nguyen, Interim Director of BPHC. “But, there is still more work. By using these innovative partnerships and interventions, we hope make all of our neighborhoods safe from violence and create healthier places where residents want to live, work and play.”

BPHC’s Division of Violence Prevention has historically invested in strategies that prevent violence through engagement with residents and community leaders, skill development for children and youth, training and capacity building among providers, and effective service delivery to individuals who have experienced violence.

In 2012, BPHC received a grant from the Department of Justice for the Defending Childhood Initiative to take a trauma-informed approach to violence prevention. The extra resources helped the city develop and test practical, sustainable strategies for implementing trauma-informed practice in six early care and education centers. The trauma-informed practices, policies and environments were deemed a success by evaluators.

BPHC and the Boston Police Department worked together to create Partners Advancing Communities Together (PACT), a multidisciplinary, comprehensive service delivery initiative targeting youth at risk for being either the victim or perpetrator of gun violence. PACT partners work together to connect youth to long-term, meaningful relationships with trusted adults and to education and employment services. A 2014 evaluation found that “a dollar invested in Boston’s PACT program could be expected to gain a savings of nearly $7.40 in crime-related cost savings.”

BPHC also partners with Boston Medical Center to implement a case management program for survivors of shootings and stabbings and their family members to ensure that they get needed services to recover from such an event.The Big Cities Health Inventory builds on a 2007 report that found cities were far less healthy than the country as a whole. The newer data offer a more complex picture than it did eight years ago. Other notable progress in Boston includes:

• Boston’s diabetes mortality rate was more than 70 percent lower than the national average (20.0 per 100,000 in 2012 compared to 69.1), and one of the lowest of all the big cities reporting data.
• Heart disease mortality fell 25 percent (from 175.4 per 100,000 in 2004 to 131.1 in 2012).
• All cancer mortality decreased nearly 6 percent (from 205.7 per 100,000 in 2004 to 193.8 in 2012).

Earlier this week, Mayor Walsh announced that Boston is taking steps to raise the age to buy all tobacco and nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, to 21 in order to protect more youth from the harmful, cancer-causing effects of smoking. In September, Mayor Walsh signed an ordinance to prohibit the use of smokeless tobacco and other tobacco products at baseball parks. The ordinance also bans smokeless tobacco or any other tobacco product at event sites for sporting events, and any other event involving a game or other athletic competition organized by a league or association.