Dr. Ruth Westheimer talks about her new role as New York’s Loneliness Ambassador
Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 11:24 a.m
NEW YORK (WABC) – The life force of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who helped bring conversations about sex out of the shadows, is now tackling a different topic in a role that is the first of its kind in the country.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul named Westheimer the state’s honorary ambassador for loneliness on Thursday.
As New York state works to combat its loneliness epidemic, “Honorary Ambassador Ruth Westheimer’s help may be just what the doctor ordered,” Hochul said in a statement.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Westheimer aims to help New Yorkers with social isolation, which is linked to physical and mental health problems such as cardiovascular disease, depression, dementia and early death.
The 95-year-old psychosexual therapist and author of more than 37 books is a Holocaust survivor who recently recovered from a mild stroke.
In an interview on “Extra Time” with Eyewitness News host Bill Ritter, Westheimer said she was feeling good and making progress.
Regarding her new role, she says she still has the “strength and ability to help” and wants people to admit it to themselves when they feel lonely.
She says once people do that, they can start talking about the remedies that can help them ease their loneliness.
You can watch her full interview with Extra Time’s Bill Ritter in the media player above.
CNN Wire contributed to this report.
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