MINORITY HEALTH INSTITUTE VIRTUAL TOWN HALL
COVID-19: THE BATTLE TO SAVE BLACK LIVES
COVID-19: The Battle to Save Black Lives, the Minority Health Institute event presented earlier this year was billed as a solution-based, educational town hall focused on the health, economic and social impact of COVID-19 on black communities. By its conclusion, the ZOOM cast attracted in excess of 1600 attendees from a variety of countries and covered the topic from a wide range of perspectives.
Minority Health Institute Founder and event co-host Dr. Richard Allen Williams assembled a cohort of speakers who addressed the pandemic with a great degree of insight. One by one, presenters were on camera and the format allowed each one to amplify how the pandemic and health disparities are deeply linked.
The collected speakers offered a knowledgeable, crossdisciplinary approach to subject matter. They included Dr. Patricia A. Harris, current President of the AMA and first African American woman in that role; Dr. Oliver Brooks, Chief Medical Officer of the Watts Health Care Corporation and current NMA President. Also present were Dr. Lisa Barkley, Chair and Program Director of CDU’ s Family Medicine Residency Program; Dr. Muntu Davis, Health Officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; UCLA Department of Public Health Professor Dr. Vickie Mays, and Dr. Juhan( Gigi) El-Bayoumi, Professor of Medicine at DC’ s George Washington University and Founding Director of the Rodham Institute. Minority Health Institute board member Dr. Christian Gonzales moderated. factors that included lack of insurance and pre-existing health conditions. This forum was an opportunity to widen the conversation through presence of the online audience.
Anthem Regional Vice President Dr. David Pryor noted that COVID-19’ s sudden onset has presented a challenge in the all-important collection of data. But it is clear that African- Americans are overrepresented in the number of COVID-19 cases, with a national black population share of 13 % and the share of cases north of 30 % and climbing. In LA County, he noted the population to case ratio at 9 % to 16 %. He signaled the importance of the need to continue to monitor the data as key to containment and future strategies.
Dr. El-Bayoumi spoke about the chaos in DC brought on by the pandemic, through the all-important lens of social determinants of health. Lack of access to healthcare represents a 20 % factor while socioeconomic factors represent 80 % of the problem. But in the overall landscape of long-term challenges, she offered that COVID-19 was just one more health care inequities obstacle.
Lack of access to consistent, quality food in South East DC is one of the strongest social determinants. Bus transportation to clinics is inadequate. There is a decided time gap between the time that DC white women and SE DC black women receive a breast cancer diagnosis.
She cited a 20 % increase in the local death rate because people suffering because of the stated inequities are not coming in for care. There are no hospitals open for labor and delivery in SE DC. Dr. El-Bayoumi recommended leveraging all possible partnerships to bring services to clients, and cited one of the Rodham Institute’ s bedrock principles as comprehensive community health education.
Dr. Vickie Mays revisited the data issue. Citing the pervasive knowledge gap currently occupying researchers worldwide, there is uncertainty in knowing what questions to ask of
In his opening remarks, Dr. Williams noted the event’ s intent to set in motion the development of an action plan to address the reality that American blacks are dying in disproportionate numbers during the pandemic. He pointed to the underlying
CDU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | PG. 18