REPORT RELEASE: Targeted Public Investments Can Improve Health Across New Jersey

On Thursday New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) released a new report on the social and economic conditions that determine health outcomes.

While access to health care plays an important role in determining health outcomes, the report — Targeted Public Investments Can Improve Health Across New Jersey — examines how investments in education, housing, and other socioeconomic and environmental programs can eliminate the barriers to a healthy life for all New Jerseyans.

“When most people think of staying healthy they think of doctor appointments, exercising, and taking their vitamins, but the conditions and circumstances in which people live, work, learn, and play are even more important in predicting health outcomes,” said Brandon McKoy, NJPP Director of Government and Public Affairs. “People are healthier when they have jobs that pay well, high-quality schools for their children, and affordable, walkable communities that encourage exercise. There are many policies unrelated to health care that lawmakers should pursue so all New Jerseyans can live healthy lives. This report highlights some of them, like expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and reinvesting in early- and higher-education, that are most effective in doing so.”

Read the full report here.