As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across the country and daily case counts exceed 150,000, many states are working to confront long-standing racial and ethnic disparities that the pandemic is laying bare.
While states are taking immediate action to address the health and economic consequences of the pandemic and preparing to distribute vaccines, their new approaches to health equity are critical first steps toward identifying and addressing systemic issues of discrimination, structural racism, and health care under-service that have led to COVID-19 disparities, and developing informed policies that advance equitable solutions.
States recognize that immediate action is needed to ensure that new strategies will reduce – rather than unintentionally exacerbate – the disparities among populations with disproportionate risk. Disparities will not be addressed without investing time and effort into learning from data and evidence, listening to the voices of populations most affected, and developing culturally competent responses. (author introduction)