Maricopa County funds research into south Phoenix life expectancy gap

PHOENIX — There are three things that matter in the Valley’s life expectancy: location, location, location.

That’s according to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, which says there’s a 14-year gap in life expectancy between those who live in south Phoenix and those who live in north Scottsdale.

To close the gap, the Board agreed to spend $1 million in community solutions funding on Thursday.

Addressing the big life expectancy gap between two Valley areas

The Board is teaming up with Arizona State University for a five-year health and well-being initiative called the Community Well-Being Hub.

This new funding will help develop and implement the research hub.

Supervisor Steve Gallardo, who represents south Phoenix, said he’s eager to improve the community.

“It’s a simple fact that where you live, even down to the ZIP code, can impact your quality of life. But honestly, when I heard just how big the life expectancy gap is between folks in my district and folks in other parts of town, I knew we had to do something,” Gallardo said in a news release.

ASU’s College of Health Solutions and the Equality Health Foundation is already working to gather data.

It held six community meetings to gather resident feedback on why the life expectancy gap exists between the two areas. It has engaged over 800 stakeholders during this process.

“As someone who has represented this area for more than two decades, I know there are a lot of reasons why residents of south Phoenix don’t live as long on average, and certainly, economic disparity is one of them,” Gallardo said.

ASU’s focus is now on creating a plan to address the social and health impacts by analyzing programs meant to improve residents’ well-being, quality of life and health outcomes.

Researchers are also taking each community’s economic vitality into account.

“What we really want to do with this initiative is focus on what interventions we can put in place to reduce that life expectancy gap and, most importantly, improve the quality of people’s lives,” Gallardo said.