39: Fostering Equitable Change During COVID-19

COVID-19 is amplifying why systemic racism in America is a public health issue. Communities of color are being disproportionately burdened by this pandemic due to persistent inequities that increase their risk to more severe bouts of COVID-19 and death. America is currently engaged in dual crises to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to advance racial justice. On this episode, speakers will address both issues and highlight the importance of public health agencies leading with and integrating equity in their COVID-19 response. We hear from three leaders managing their COVID-19 response by prioritizing areas with the greatest need and supporting community-led decision-making to ensure the most socially vulnerable populations have increased access to treatment, testing, isolation options, and resources. Speakers: Joneigh Khaldun, MD, Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy Director for Department of the Michigan Department Health and Human Services Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health; ASTHO Board Member and Past-President Rudy Macklin, Director of the Bureau of Minority Health Access, Louisiana Department of Health; Board Member, National Association of State Offices of Minority Health (Louisiana)   Resources: How to Address COVID-19 in Communities of Color [ASTHO] Promoting Health Equity through State Orders for COVID-19 Testing [ASTHO] Health Equity During COVID-19: Top Strategies for an Equity-Focused Recovery Strategy [ASTHO] Why We Need Race and Ethnicity Data to Beat COVID-19 [ASTHO] COVID-19 Response Health Equity Strategy: Accelerating Progress Towards Reducing COVID-19 Disparities and Achieving Health Equity [CDC] CDC Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups [CDC] The House Ways and Means Committee Hearing on The Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on Communities of Color [United States House of Representatives] The COVID Racial Data Tracker [The Atlantic]