More than 23,000 New Yorkers die from heart disease and stroke each year.
Be Heart Healthy
More people die from heart disease in NYC than any other cause – 23,000 New Yorkers die from heart disease and stroke each year. The NYC Health Department has developed a number of innovative approaches to improving heart health by improving the quality of the food available to New Yorkers. When NYC restricted the use of trans fat in food service establishments in 2006, no other jurisdictions had taken this measure. Two years after New York City's action, 12 local governments and 1 state had adopted similar measures and more than 50 restaurant chains and dozens of hotel groups, food manufacturers, grocery retailers and other major companies announced or reiterated their intention to discontinue the use of artificial trans fat-containing products on a national basis--and most have already done so.
The NYC Health Department is working hard to address this concerning data and has made significant progress in recent years. In 2008, the risk of dying from premature heart disease was 17% lower compared to 2002. But more can be done.
Christine Johnson is the Director of Nutrition Policy in the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Control Program at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Private funds have helped fuel bold ideas that are taking on heart disease.