New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a long-time talk radio host and well-known sex therapist, as the state’s first “ambassador to loneliness.”
The governor’s office announced this Thursday that the title was given to the 95-year-old Bronx resident to help New Yorkers of all ages deal with the increasing problem of social isolation, which is linked to various physical and mental health issues such as cognitive decline, anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disorders, weakened immunity, Alzheimer’s disease, and premature death.
The governor, a Democrat, stated, “As New York works to fight the loneliness epidemic, some help from honorary Ambassador Ruth Westheimer may be just what the doctor ordered.”
Mrs. Hochul referred to research showing that individuals experiencing loneliness had a 32% higher risk of dying early.
She added that New York is the first state in the nation to create such a position.
Dr. Ruth, the well-known radio host, expressed her interest in taking on the honorary role last year, according to the governor’s office.
“I am deeply honored and promised the governor that I will work day and night to help New Yorkers feel less lonely,” said Ms. Westheimer.
Dr. Ruth, who was born in Germany and orphaned by the Holocaust, immigrated to the United States in 1956 and became a naturalized citizen in 1965.
After receiving training as a sex therapist at Cornell University and earning a doctor of education in family studies from Columbia University, Ms. Westheimer gained fame as a talk show host providing serious and candid sexual advice in the 1980s and 1990s.
Married three times, she has lived for decades in a three-bedroom apartment near the synagogue she attends and where she raised her two children.
The governor’s announcement comes as studies show that more Americans are living alone, and health officials warn that health risks associated with loneliness have increased as people stayed home during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an 81-page report in April declaring loneliness a “public health epidemic” in the pandemic era.
The Census Bureau reported in November 2021 that 28% of all adults lived alone as the pandemic raged in early 2021, up from 13% in 1960. The bureau said there were 37 million one-person households in the United States, up from 33 million in 2011.
On Thursday, Gov. Hochul‘s office said the New York Office of Mental Health was implementing $1 billion in funding to expand state mental health services.
