ST. PETERSBURG Fla. — Your zip code shouldn’t determine how long you live, but new data shows there’s a huge disparity when you look at the three zip codes: 33705, 33711, and 33712 in south St. Pete.
Now, people in these communities say they’re planning to use that same data to help change those numbers.
Kay-Kay Smith says she’s both comforted and conflicted every time she hears her mother’s voice singing those old gospel songs.
“This is the same song that we played at her funeral. And if she could’ve gotten access to quality healthcare to get the things that she needed, she would still be here,” she said.
For Smith, this was the type of loss that made her want to do something to impact change.
Her mother’s name was Wanda Simpson. Her life and death are the reason why Smith started doing community outreach with her foundation, Rise and Thrive.
“She was raised in this area. And she also expressed so many life and health disparities and she eventually passed away from life and health disparities. An expression of nine different health disparities, including chronic illnesses, diabetes and also kidney failure,” she said.
According to a new study released by the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, residents in Pinellas County have an average life expectancy of 78.7 years, but when you zero in on south St. Pete, life expectancy is five years lower at 73.3 years.
When it comes to diseases like diabetes, an average of 38 people are impacted in the county. But in south St. Pete, that number is 94.
Smith said she knows those numbers represent real people, and it’s why she helped contribute to the study and everything it examined.
“So, what I got out of the report is the correlation of economic disparities and also chronic illness as well as neighborhood safety,” she said. “These correlations express in our neighborhood and give the foundation for nonprofits to get involved in the community and expand the work.”
That’s the approach President and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, Dr. Kanika Tomalin, said they want their community partners to take when it comes to this new study.
“Every day, we have great people in our community coming together to figure out how we can build a stronger, more equitable community and we don’t want that to be guesswork. We want to know exactly where the issues lie so we can take a laser focus prioritization at the work,” Tomalin said.
The 125-page study is packed with data that Tomalin said is an affirmation of information the community has known existed for years. She’s hoping equipping people with this kind of documentation can help change it.
"This is about saving lives and it’s about quality of life and what it takes for a person in our community to thrive," said Tomalin. "And when we look at race and health in St. Petersburg, there’s still so much work to do to ensure people of color in our community, particularly in south St. Pete, have as much opportunity to thrive as their white neighbors."
Ensuring that her community gets that same opportunity is one of the main things Smith says she plans to focus on going forward.
When it comes to actionable items — things like improving food security, strengthening community ties and supporting economic development —are listed in the report. Authors of the report say because there are so many areas impacted, it’s going to take a number of different approaches to make a real difference.
View the full report below:
