Life Expectancy Improves for Blacks, and the Racial Gap Is Closing, CDC Reports – The Washington Post

Read article - Quotes Ellen Meara, professor of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, about a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found African Americans have made significant gains in life expectancy, and the mortality gap between white and black Americans has been cut in half since 1999. "My enthusiasm for these impressive gains in mortality is dampened by the stunning mortality gap between blacks and whites that remains in 2015," says Meara. "Combined with an uptick in deaths due to external causes (accidental injuries, homicides, drug poisonings and related causes) between 2014 and 2015 offsetting some of the mortality gains since 1999, those reading this report should be vigilant to ensure continued survival gains among black Americans."