Black Longevity Depends on Community Health in Minnesota
This story was originally published by MinnPost. It’s part four in a four-part series on health conditions affecting Black Minnesotans. You can read Part I, about breast cancer disparities, here. Part II on sickle cell disease here. Part III on pollution here.
Pastor Edrin Williams shows up daily for his congregation of nearly 800 people at Minneapolis’ Sanctuary Covenant Church. He wouldn’t be able to do that if he didn’t have ways to take care of himself.
“You’ll never be spiritually healthy while remaining emotionally unhealthy,” Williams said. “I talk openly about the fact that I meet with a therapist on a regular basis.”
Therapy is one way Williams takes care of himself. It’s an important way to maintain health, he said, especially for Black Minnesotans, who have lower life expectancies than their non-Black neighbors.
Minnesota ranks high nationally when it comes to life expectancy, with the fourth highest in the nation, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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