CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A first of its kind report from the Chicago Department of Public Health said the life-expectancy gap between Black and non-Black Chicagoans continues to be wide.
The State of Health for Blacks in Chicago, a first of its kind data brief describing the health status of Chicago’s Black population and the root cause inequities disproportionately affecting the lives of Black Chicagoans, suggested the life expectancy gap between Black Chicagoans and non-Black Chicagoans is 9.2 years and rising. And when you compare it by neighborhoods, the gap is even bigger. For instance, the report said residents of mostly white Edison Park are expected to live 14.6 years more than residents of mostly black West Garfield Park.
“This week of Juneteenth, The State of Health for Blacks in Chicago is a stark reminder of the legacy of unacceptable inequities that continue to plague our city and country to this day,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot, in a statement. “This brief is also a call to action for our city and one we take very seriously and are acting upon.”
According to the report, Black Chicagoans, on average, live 71.4 years, while non-Black Chicagoans live 80.6 years, on average. The report said that gap is caused by five main factors:
· Chronic Diseases -- Diabetes-related death rate among Blacks is 70 percent higher than among non-Blacks
• Homicide -- Homicide rate among Blacks is nine times higher than the homicide rate among non-Blacks
• Infant Mortality --Black infants are almost three times as likely to die in their first year of life compared to non-Blacks
• HIV, flu and other infections (COVID-19) -- Blacks accounted for half of the people living with HIV.
• Opioid overdose -- Opioid-related overdose death rate among Blacks is more than three times the rate among non-Blacks
The brief is the result of the work of a group of five Black women from CDPH who formed the Health Equity Index Committee (HEIC).
HEIC members said the brief was designed to “address the historical and present forms of racism, systematic exclusion, and sources of toxic stress that prevent Black Chicagoans from achieving health equity.
“Members and allies of the Black community...must join forces to address and eliminate these critical health inequities and their underlying causes. Only then, will the color of the person's skin no longer determine how long they live or their quality of life,” the committee wrote.
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