The Topline
Key data points
Drowning is the third leading cause of injury death around the world — and children are the most at risk. To tackle this growing challenge, Bloomberg Philanthropies is expanding drowning prevention efforts around the world, including in the U.S., where drowning incidents are rising.
Recent laws have made more than $1.2 trillion in federal funding available for infrastructure investment in roads, bridges, broadband internet, clean water, and more. James Anderson, who leads our Government Innovation program, wrote in TIME Magazine about helping cities and towns access those funds so they can start building for their future.
Every year there are more than 8 million tobacco-related deaths, and every single one is preventable. Friday, May 31 is World No Tobacco Day, and we’re asking for your help to raise awareness and keep people safe from the risks of tobacco.
Life expectancy has nearly doubled in the last 150 years. In a new Follow the Data podcast episode, two public health experts talk about how that achievement was made possible, and the challenges and opportunities facing public health today.
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One of the most overlooked and underfunded public health issues around the world is drowning. More than 235,000 people globally die from drowning each year — over 640 deaths a day — and children are the most at risk. More than 90 percent of drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, making it an important equity issue. And drowning numbers are on the rise in the United States, where it is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of one and four.
For more than a decade, Bloomberg Philanthropies has worked with partners to prevent drowning deaths, and recently announced an additional investment of $60 million to help spread data-driven solutions in Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Uganda and Viet Nam. The investment also includes new efforts in the U.S. to support swim instruction and strengthen data collection to better understand the circumstances of drowning incidents in Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma and Texas. Read more about the efforts to raise awareness of this neglected challenge, where effective actions can protect children and adults around the world.
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In an Ideas piece for TIME Magazine, James Anderson, who leads our Government Innovation program, highlights some of the biggest challenges facing America today: the urgent need to enhance and expand infrastructure across the nation, and to help cities and towns access and implement once-in-a-generation funding available today. “When it comes to repairing our roads and bridges, upgrading our power and communications grids, and preparing for a changing future, we have simply failed to live up to the task,” he writes. But thanks to multiple laws passed to invest in infrastructure, “[t]housands of municipalities — from the smallest towns to the largest cities — have an opportunity to realize their dreams, tackle their most urgent needs, and build their way to prosperity.” Read James’s Ideas piece in TIME to see how Bloomberg Philanthropies is working with mayors and other partners to help secure game-changing investments in their communities.
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Friday, May 31 is World No Tobacco Day, and it’s a chance for you to support efforts that have saved more than 35 million lives — and can help save millions more. Since 2005, Bloomberg Philanthropies has invested more than $1.5 billion to fight tobacco use, working with a global network of partners to reduce tobacco-related deaths through tobacco control measures like smoke-free public places and graphic public health warnings. Those efforts have been effective in countries all over the world, but the tobacco and nicotine industries keep trying to attract new users, including targeting kids and young adults so they can get a new generation hooked on their deadly products. For World No Tobacco Day 2024, help raise awareness by sharing materials from the World Health Organization’s World No Tobacco Day page, and resharing #WorldNoTobaccoDay posts from @WHO (X, Instagram), @BloombergDotOrg (X, Instagram), and @MikeBloomberg (X, Instagram).
The WHO is also inviting people under 35 to participate in a Social Reels Challenge to expose the tobacco industry tactics targeting young people. Learn more about the entry requirements and prizes →.
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The Invisible Shield documentary debuted on PBS in March, offering a never-before-seen look at the history of public health and the incredible ways it has improved and saved lives — even when those who benefit most never realize it. The conversation continues on our latest Follow the Data podcast, where two public health experts featured in The Invisible Shield share their insights on public health in the present day. Tune in as host Katherine Oliver speaks with Dr. Sandro Galea, Dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, and Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, about how they started their careers, the importance of data collection, and the biggest obstacles to implementing public health policies.
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