Healthcare Disparities Among Hispanic Communities
As COVID-19 sweeps through communities around our world , racial and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately affected . However , disparate impacts on the health of communities of color are not new — in fact , the impacts of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minority groups mirror the social , economic , and physical inequities that quietly and consistently follow these groups .
Citing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minority groups , the Center for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) names five social determinants of health that contribute to this imbalance ( CDC , 2021 ): “ neighborhood and physical environment , health and healthcare , occupation and job conditions , income and wealth , and education .” The CDC ( 2021 ) suggests that each of these factors are influenced by discrimination , including racism and associated chronic stress , and may increase certain communities ’ risk of COVID-19 exposure and associated health impacts .
Factors Impacting the Health of Hispanic Communities
Hispanic communities in the U . S . are one of several racial or ethnic groups of people that already experience health disparities and have now been hard-hit by the pandemic . In defining this ethnic group , the U . S . Office of Minority Health ( OMH ) includes , “ Any person of Cuban , Mexican , Puerto Rican , South or Central American , or other Spanish culture or origin , regardless of race ” ( OMH , 2021 ).
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