On average, an Old Town resident could make it into their late 80s. Just a few blocks north, residents in the Braddock neighborhood would be lucky to make it out of their 70s (page 8).
As Alexandria gears up for a new Community Health Assessment — the first since the Covid pandemic — Mayor Justin Wilson highlighted the findings of the 2019 report in a newsletter.
“A black resident of Alexandria is 117% more likely to die before the age of 75 than white residents of our City,” Wilson wrote. “These are provocative disparities that exist and persist due to generations of structural racism and inequities.”
The Community Health Survey (available until Nov. 1) assesses health based on a variety of data, from diabetes hospitalizations to percentage of residents living in poverty.
The assessment determined that Alexandrians are less likely to visit a dentist compared to neighboring jurisdictions. Dental problems ranked as the biggest health issue among survey respondents earning less than $10,000 per year.
“Only 64% of Alexandrians surveyed report visiting the dentist in the past year, compared with 75% of Northern Virginians overall,” the assessment said.
The assessment identified not only disparities in health around the city, but in access to healthcare. While only 14% of Alexandrians are uninsured (around 20,800 people), 31% of Black residents and 43% of Hispanic residents are uninsured.
The assessment also said that 72% of Alexandria’s uninsured population are foreign-born residents and 61% are not citizens.
“Nearly half (48%) of all non-citizens in Alexandria are uninsured,” the assessment said.
Wilson said the City of Alexandria took some steps to improve health after the previous assessment. Concerns listed about chronic illnesses, for example, led to the creation of the ALX Breathes program.
“We are now preparing to begin the cycle again,” Wilson wrote. “On Tuesday, October 1st at 6:30 p.m., at Patrick Henry Recreation Center, you are invited to join us. We will be kicking-off a new Community Health Assessment to see where we are as a community, and help determine how we make Alexandria a healthier community in the future!”
