Month: January 2019

Dog Walker Death

CBSPhilly:

On Tuesday, the medical examiner’s office said Justice died of blunt impact injury to the head.

The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made at this time.

https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/01/08/man-killed-over-argument-about-unleashed-dog-ruled-homicide/

Inquirer:

The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday said the death of 38-year-old Drew Justice, who died Saturday after being punched once in an altercation with another dog walker in a South Philly park, was a homicide.

http://www.philly.com/news/drew-justice-homicide-dog-walker-south-philly-gold-star-park-20190108.html

By Tommy Rowan

WHYY:

The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Justice died of “blunt impact trauma” to the head.

https://whyy.org/articles/suspect-in-death-of-south-philly-dog-walker-held-on-manslaughter-charge/

By Bobby Allyn

Fox29:

Justice was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.  The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Justice’s death a homicide due to blunt impact trauma.

http://www.fox29.com/news/suspect-charged-in-fatal-punch-at-dog-park-in-south-philadelphia

 

Health of the City Media Coverage

Inquirer:

“What surprised me the most was the impact of the opioid crisis on our overall vital statistics,” Health Commissioner Tom Farley said Thursday. “To see life expectancy going in the wrong direction has not occurred in this country for a long time.”

http://www.philly.com/health/opioid-overdose-health-of-the-city-poverty-racial-disparities-philadelphia-20190104.html

By Aubrey Whelan

Philly Magazine:

The just-released Health of the City report found that drug overdose deaths among Philadelphia residents increased nearly four-fold in recent years, with those deaths making a resounding mark on the city’s overall life expectancy — specifically on the rate of premature deaths (those that occur before age 75).

https://www.phillymag.com/news/2019/01/04/life-expectancy-overdose-epidemic/

By Claire Sasko

WHYY:

Raynard Washington, chief epidemiologist for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said that disparity can be attributed primarily to poverty and social factors.

“Really underlying much of this is the social determinants of health — where people live, the environment in which they live in, their ability to be able to pay their bills, and acquire healthy food at affordable rates,” he said.

https://whyy.org/articles/biggest-health-problems-in-philadelphia-opioids-hiv-poverty/

By Alan Yu

Al Dia:

Amid a “nearly 4-fold” increase in drug overdose deaths in recent years, and a 14 percent uptick in homicides over the previous year, Philadelphia’s life expectancy declined in 2017, a report released last week by the city’s Department of Public Health found.

http://aldianews.com/articles/politics/state-and-local/philadelphia-life-expectancy-declines-due-opioid-crisis-violence

By David Maas

2018 Health of the City Report Issued

Today, Philadelphia Department of Public Health released the second Health of the City annual report, which describes the landscape of health for Philadelphia residents. Many health indicators are improving, but some indicators – particularly those related to opioid use and unhealthy behaviors – are troubling. Among the grimmest findings was that drug overdoses and homicides have caused a decline in life expectancy in Philadelphia. The latest data on teen health has good news though: cigarette use, drinking, sweetened beverage use, teen birth rates, and new cases of sexually-transmitted diseases have all continued to drop.

https://mailchi.mp/phila.gov/health-department-releases-2018-health-of-the-city-report