Sex therapist Dr. Ruth is NY's first loneliness ambassador – just what the doctor ordered

Once the nation’s leading sex therapist, Dr. Ruth now has a new role at 95: She's New York’s first loneliness ambassador.

On Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a syndicated talk show host who counseled Americans about sex in the 1980s and 1990s, will now lead the state in addressing isolation, an issue that has risen to prominence following lockdowns to reduce the spread of COVID-19. She is the first loneliness ambassador in the U.S., the governor's office said, following similar posts in the United Kingdom and Japan.

“As New York works to fight the loneliness epidemic, some help from honorary Ambassador Ruth Westheimer may be just what the doctor ordered,” Hochul said in a statement.

“Hallelujah!” Westheimer said in a statement announcing her new role. She later added: “I am deeply honored and promised the Governor that I will work day and night to help New Yorkers feel less lonely!”

With her honorary title, the ambassador is set to help address the growing issue of social isolation, the governor’s office said in a news release. This is linked with physical and mental health issues such as cognitive decline, anxiety, depression, weakened immunity, Alzheimer’s disease and premature death.

The governor’s office highlighted a 2020 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine study which found that one-quarter of adults 65 years and older are considered socially isolated, and one-third of adults 45 and older are experiencing loneliness, meaning, according to the study, that they felt alone regardless of the amount of social contact they had. Social isolation refers to a lack of social connections.

In a statement, Dr. James McDonald, New York’s health commissioner, said he was encouraged that Hochul appointed Westheimer to the role in order “to help people cope with these feelings and to form new connections.”

In 2019, Westheimer said she wasn’t worried about younger generations having sex. Instead, she was more concerned about basic human connection.

"Today, most of the questions I get (are) about loneliness, about not finding somebody to share their life and experience with, not just sex,” she said at a Hulu panel to promote her documentary, "Ask Dr. Ruth."

Dr. Ruth:Today's advice is more about loneliness than sex

When Westheimer turned 94 in June 2022, she told the social column Page Six that her birthday wish was to help lonely people in New York as an ambassador for loneliness, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which she said at the time had greatly affected her. Westheimer became a renowned sex therapist decades ago, appearing on television and radio in the U.S. She was also a longtime professor at Columbia University's Teachers College.

Westheimer was born in Germany to Jewish parents who were killed during the Holocaust. She was part of the Kindertransport of Jewish children, who sought refuge from the Nazi government across Europe. She emigrated to British-ruled Palestine and served in Haganah, a predecessor to the Israel Defense Forces. She lives in Upper Manhattan.