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Health Commissioner Wants Outer Borough Blobs to Shape Up
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 14, 2009
Modified Sep 14, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 14, 2009
Modified Sep 14, 2009
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Today the Mayor and New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley announced a three-year health policy called Take Care New York 2012, targeting 10 leading causes of preventable sickness and death, including lung cancer, heart disease and HIV. And in a preliminary interview with the Times, Farley emphasized that sedentary New Yorkers in the boroughs need to start pulling their weight, because they're currently fatter and less active than their sleek Manhattan neighbors: "In Manhattan, most people are going to be walking. Throughout the other boroughs, they are going to be driving." Farley lives in Brooklyn and exercises regularly, and since replacing Dr. Thomas Frieden as commissioner, he's been busy warning New Yorkers about the fatty evils of soda, while also trying to make the city more exercise-friendly. He says his agenda "includes what organizations can do, what we can do as a society" and is "less focused on the health care system." So the plan announced today identifies 10 steps New Yorkers should take, like "Have a Healthy Baby," "Know Your HIV Status," and "Live Free of Dependence on Alcohol and Drugs." ("Drink Diet Soda" isn't one of them.)
Tagged
health
nyc
policy
take care new york
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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