Wednesday, July 8, 2020 | 2 a.m.
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The convergence of a pandemic, a social justice movement and an economic downturn required Americans to pay attention to where we are versus where we need to be.
Where we are is callous and indifferent to generational poverty. The most efficient way to improve health, equality and the economy is to interrupt generational poverty.
Public health leaders have informed us for decades that ZIP codes are the obvious determinants of public health. Public health encompasses much more than access to health care. It is about quality education, safe neighborhoods, employment, transportation, healthy food availability, affordable housing, mental health services, child care and early education, recreation, legal support and referrals to additional services.
The best way to interrupt generational poverty is to create neighborhood centers in the most fragile ZIP codes, structured to meet the needs of families in the neighborhood. Senior citizens may need help picking up prescriptions. Families often need help with a variety of issues that could be addressed by neighborhood advocates, instead of calling 911. New residents in the neighborhood could connect with the neighborhood center to learn about support systems. Neighborhood residents would have opportunities to connect with each other to create new support systems. When we experience a pandemic or other disaster, families would know where to go for testing or emergency response directives.
Stronger neighborhoods would create stronger communities, which would improve the well-being of children and families while boosting the economy.
