Quincy Health
The City of Quincy is an eclectic urban city that has transformed from a community dominated by Western European immigrants to one that celebrates a unique fabric of cultures through the growth of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, Arabic, African American and Brazilian families. With a population surpassing 90,000, the foreign born exceeds 25 percent, and the non-white percentage of children in the public schools is over 30%. The population breakdown consists of approximately 70% White, 23% Asian, 2% African American, 3% Hispanic and 2% other. View Demographics
Although Quincy has experienced significant demographic changes over the past two decades, community leaders and various public, private and non-profit organizations provide a variety of programs and services to ensure all residents, regardless of income level, race or age have access to a plethora of programs and resources available to improve their quality of life within the community.
The community’s ability to harness the available expertise, and bring various independent entities together to collaborate on issues at hand, is an important strength of the community. For example a city-wide summit was held in late 2007, bringing together over 60 healthcare providers, city government, business leaders, community-based organizations and school officials to discuss the importance of health and wellness in the community. The results of this summit lead to the formation of Quincy On The Go, an initiative designed to emphasize nationally proven strategies to educate residents and employees about the importance of having active living and healthy lifestyles.
Like many communities across the Commonwealth, the City of Quincy has its share of health concerns, challenges and opportunities. City leaders continue to take a proactive role in identifying these concerns, and develop programs and resources to address them.
Below is an example of some of the primary health concerns impacting the quality of life within the community.
Childhood Obesity
The City has quantified childhood obesity in recent years through BMI testing undertaken in the Quincy Public School System in grades 1, 4, 7 and 10 from 2005 - 2008. The most accurate data obtained in the school system is from 2007 and 2008 and is noted below:
| % at risk | % overweight | |
| Grade 1 | 15.0 18.2 |
16.4 (2007) 19.3 (2008) |
| Grade 4 | 20.0 18.8 |
17.5 (2007) 19.9 (2008) |
| Grade 7 | 16.7 19.1 |
16.2 (2007) 15.1 (2008) |
| Grade 10 | 15.9 14.4 |
15.6 (2007) 17.2 (2008) |
It is evident that the City has a childhood obesity concern consistent with national standards.
Diabetes
The Quincy Diabetes Initiative (QDI) (a partnership between Quincy Medical Center, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Granite Medical and Manet Community Health Center) provides some early data showing a snapshot of the diabetes concern in the community. According to QBI two data sources provided from this initiative identified 987 diabetics with 376 having a HbA1C between 6-7, and approximately 128 of these having no medication. The second data source depicts 861 diabetics of which 381 have a HgA1C between 6-7. Both data sources depict a high concern, and that about a third or more of the diabetic population within these groups are at the beginning stages of the disease where there is opportunity to delay progression of the complications with lifestyle modifications (increased physical activity, weight loss, healthier eating, etc.).
The 2007 Metrowest Regional Health Dialogue Report states that from 2003 - 2005 the City of Quincy had the second highest Diabetes Hospital discharges in the Metrowest region at 178 per 100,000 discharges and Quincy exceeds the Massachusetts average of 133 per 100,000 discharges. View Survey
Substance Abuse
In 2008, Mayor Thomas Koch of the City of Quincy established a “Quincy Drug Task Force” to combat substance abuse through public awareness, education, prevention and treatment. The Task Force consists of several community partners from the local and county level, who collectively meet to address this community health risk. Though a relatively new initiative, the Task Force unveiled in April 2009 a multi-media campaign to increase the awareness of substance abuse issues, and promote the available prevention resources and services.
The 2007 Metrowest Regional Health Dialogue Report states that in 2005 the City of Quincy had the highest visit rates in the study region at 298 per 100,000 and Quincy significantly exceeds the Massachusetts average of 188 per 100,000 visits. View Survey
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