A major study released last fall found life expectancy across the region varies by as much as 27 years. In response, area health officials are sharing this data with other government, nonprofit, and philanthropic leaders and encouraging these partners to develop policies and programs that support disadvantaged populations and reduce health disparities. 

Uneven Opportunities: How Conditions for Wellness Vary Across the Metropolitan Washington Region, produced by Virginia Commonwealth University for the COG Health Officials Committee, examined health at the census tract level as well as the factors that shape health. The findings showed that health is shaped less by health care than by factors like income, education, housing, transportation, and the environment.  

At its February 2019 meeting, the Health Officials Committee invited transportation experts for a discussion on Equity Emphasis Areas, which are geographic areas with high concentrations of low-income and minority populations. The Transportation Planning Board at COG created a tool to assess whether those areas may be disproportionately impacted by transportation projects in Visualize 2045, the region’s long-range plan. 

The committee plans to also engage housing, land use, and education officials this year. In addition, the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers (WRAG) Healthy Communities Working Group will be discussing how the health data in Uneven Opportunities can help inform its future work.
 

On Comcast Newsmakers, Dr. Reuben Varghese, COG Health Officials Committee Member and Arlington County Public Health Director, discusses the factors that affect health in the region and how to reduce health disparities.