Philadelphians' health improved in 2023, but large ethnic and racial disparities remain

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphians’ health and mortality rate have vastly improved since the pandemic, according to statistics released Wednesday by the city’s Department of Public Health , but disparities by race and ethnicity remain.

Life expectancy for Philadelphians is back to 76 years. That’s about what it was before the pandemic, when it dropped to 73 years. Dr. Megan Todd, the Health Department’s chief epidemiologist, says COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in 2020 and 2021.

“And now what we’re seeing is it wasn’t even in the top 10 causes of death in Philadelphia, and that’s great news.”

Todd says there were decreases in many other causes of early death — that is, life lost before the age of 75.

“We saw big spikes in mortality during the COVID pandemic, and those increases in deaths were not only for folks who got sick with COVID. We also saw big increases in deaths from overdose, violence and car crashes,” Todd said. “So this new data suggests we’re getting over those spikes and things are looking a bit more like what they were pre-pandemic.”

Todd says it’s not enough, and the city must keep focusing on reducing early deaths — the most common cause of which remains unintentional drug overdose.

Todd says public health policies helped reduce the number of overdose deaths.

“Narcan can be sold without a prescription now, and that’s relatively new. Substance use treatment has become more accessible, and we have test strips for things like fentanyl and xylazine.”

Todd notes, though, that there are still health disparities by race and ethnicity. Life expectancy for Black men is 67, nearly 10 years lower than the average. The infant mortality rate for children born to Black mothers is twice that of other groups.

Todd says the history of redlining — that is, withholding financial services from neighborhoods with significant numbers of racial and ethnic minorities — and other forms of racism have contributed to this disparity.

“Things like where you live, where you work, the local poverty rate, the quality of the local schools — all of these things matter enormously for health. And in this city and in this country, all of those things are shaped by a legacy of structural racism.”