America’s Other Divide

(photo by Ell Brown)

America is increasingly becoming a country of gaps. There is the achievement gap in our education system; the income gap between the rich and the poor, the somewhat controversial opportunity gap, and the other troubling divide in the country – the life gap.

A recent report by the Spokane Regional Health District in Washington state titled “Odds Against Tomorrow: Health Inequities in Spokane County,” reveals what is true throughout much of the country; the wealthiest inhabitants can expect to outlive the poorer ones.

The difference between the longest-lived neighborhood in the county (Southgate) and the shortest-lived one (downtown) is about 18 years: an entire American childhood. And it is not simply a matter of extremes; neighborhood by neighborhood, there is a gradual rise in the years a person can expect to live that imitates the rise in neighborhood wealth. The higher an individual’s social status, the healthier they are and the longer they live.

According to the report, life expectancy in the poorer neighborhood of East Central is approximately 73 years; in the slightly better-off Cliff/Cannon neighborhood it’s approximately 77 years; in the middle class Manito neighborhood it’s nearly 81; and in the affluent Rockwood neighborhood life expectancy approaches 83 years.

The data in this report represents a microcosm of the staggering truth throughout the country.

According to the CDC, there is a 40-year difference between the longest-lived people in the nation – Asian American women in parts of New York, New Jersey, and Florida who live on average into their late 90s-and the shortest-lived – Native American men in six South Dakota counties who on average live only until their mid-50s.

Since the 1950s, the average life expectancy for men and women across the country has risen steadily; women have done particularly well, gaining on average almost 10 years of life. White women in several counties scattered throughout Minnesota and North and South Dakota are nearly as robust as Asian American women, with average life expectancies of 83. The picture is not as rosy, however, for non-white groups. Black women are making slight gains in life expectancy, but the line charting the life expectancy for black men remains nearly horizontal across the three and a half decades. The figures for Native American men in those six South Dakota counties are chilling: men in places like Bangladesh can look forward to living longer.

The relationship among income, education, personal choices, cultural attitudes, services, transportation, parks and safety is so complex that oversimplifying cause-and-effect can be misleading; but many of the factors that make an environment conducive to health are easy to see.

Simple things such as access to healthy food vary neighborhood to neighborhood; wealthier neighborhoods have more grocery stores, while lower income neighborhoods tend to have small markets focused heavily on marketing beer and cigarettes, and junk food.

Approaches such as the Community Café, a regular open house for neighbors where they discuss neighborhood health, give communities a voice, a place to envision solutions, and help spark action.

Which brings me to the purpose of this blog. My vision is that this blog will manifest into a digital space for community members to engage in discussion, strategize solutions and propel insight into action. It’s all about building momentum and tackling the many-faceted issues that ultimately cause certain groups to lead longer, healthier lives than others.

I’m going to dive in, get dirty, debate issues and hopefully spark at least some of us into action that moves us closer to a vision where everyone has the opportunity to be healthy. Get ready to ignite.