LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Seventy-five years. That's the average life expectancy of a Louisvillian, according to new data from the Metro Department of Public Health. However, the data differs depending on where you live.
West of 9th street, the average life expectancy is 65 years, but in east Jefferson County, it's 81—a disparity of 16 years.
Those numbers come from analyzing data between 2017 to 2021, so the COVID pandemic is still a factor in the total number of deaths. However, heart disease and cancer were still the main causes of death for people living in Louisville's most at-need communities in the west.
Louisville Urban League President Lyndon Pryor acknowledges the different ways location can factor into the problem.
"Environmental things. Where a plant is going to be located in a city. Environmental justice issues. Air quality. Water quality, Pryor said. "All of those sorts of things impact somebody's health in real terms."
Pryor also noted the issues for the health of Black people extend beyond ZIP codes.
"What doctors are willing to do or put Black people through is often different than how they look at other demographics. Things like that, that are just baked into the system overtime, are things that ultimately pan out into the type of care that people are gonna get," he said.
The Metro's health department agrees. Officials said stress, specifically over reliable and affordable housing, leads to heart problems. They also identified exposure to carcinogens, like polluted air, as part of the increased risk for cancer.
Norton Healthcare is bringing a hospital to the 28th and Broadway, the first in the area in over a century, which will lower the barrier to accessing preventative care. Pryor said one obstacle they'll have to overcome is trust.
Russell Cox, Norton's CEO, insisted they are doing better.
"I think for so long in healthcare, we as an institution have said 'here's what's good for you.' That hasn't always worked. So we decided we were gonna look at it a little differently this time," he said.
From community feedback sessions, they're determining what to offer at the new hospital site, such as pediatric and maternal care. But the health department's latest numbers still worry him.
"As discouraging as this report is to someone in healthcare," Cox said, "it is equally as encouraging to understand that it can be overcome by working together on these things."
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