The City of Trenton faces significant public health challenges, with residents experiencing higher rates of chronic illness than Mercer County and the state as a whole. Addressing these disparities requires a focus on the upstream social determinants of health: poverty, safety, and access to care – which directly influence the incidence, progression, and management of chronic conditions.
According to the Greater Mercer Public Health Partnership Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) 2024, chronic disease prevention and management remain top priorities. Public health data reveal racial and ethnic disparities in chronic disease burden across Mercer County, with Black residents experiencing nearly double the rate of cardiovascular disease inpatient hospitalizations (144.1 per 10,000) compared with the county average (77.4 per 10,000). Diabetes, a chronic metabolic disorder that directly causes cardiovascular disease, also emerged as a key concern among survey respondents, with disproportionately higher prevalence among Latino residents (17.3%) and Black residents (13.6%) of Mercer County, most of whom live in the City of Trenton.
Gun violence is classified as a chronic disease in Trenton because it behaves like an epidemic, generating a cycle of trauma, fear, and long-term physical and mental health issues that persist in the community over time, rather than presenting as isolated incidents. From a public health perspective, it is a condition that spreads through social and environmental factors, causes sustained stress, and requires community-based, preventive care in addition to traditional enforcement approaches.
Our programs focus on two major areas of chronic disease: violence prevention and interventions and improving cardiac health equity in the City of Trenton. Other programs that address chronic disease include our Mobile Food Pantry (in partnership with Arm In Arm), healthy hot meals (in partnership with Trenton Area Soup Kitchen), and the Trenton Neighborhood Initiative.