Racism, COVID-19, and Health Inequity in the USA: a Call to Action.

J Racial Ethn Health Disparities

Obstetrics and Gynecology, Valleywise Health, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, USA.

Published: February 2022

The current national COVID-19 mortality rate for Black Americans is 2.1 times higher than that of Whites. In this commentary, we provide historical context on how structural racism undergirds multi-sector policies which contribute to racial health inequities such as those highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We offer a concrete, actionable path forward to address structural racism and advance health equity for Black Americans through anti-racism, implicit bias, and cultural competency training; capacity building; community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiatives; validated metrics for longitudinal monitoring of efforts to address health disparities and the evaluation of those interventions; and advocacy for and empowerment of vulnerable communities. This necessitates a multi-pronged, coordinated approach led by clinicians; public health professionals; researchers; social scientists; policy-makers at all governmental levels; and local community leaders and stakeholders across the education, legal, social service, and economic sectors to proactively and systematically advance health equity for Black Americans across the USA.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7668281PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40615-020-00928-yDOI Listing

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