Combatting COVID-19 Racial Disparities

Nearly 1 year after the first reported case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), research continues to document the crisis’ physical, mental, and economic toll on the nation’s most vulnerable populations.

Disparities in health care existed long before “COVID-19” entered the American vernacular, but no event in modern history has shined such an intense light on the myriad of imminent health challenges facing these populations.

In the United States, people of color have higher rates of chronic diseases than their White counterparts—a factor which contributes to the disproportionate COVID-19 mortality rate seen in these populations. For example, the risk of being diagnosed with diabetes is 77% higher for African Americans and 66% higher among Hispanics compared with White Americans.

In addition, an analysis of data from more than 110,000 COVID-19–associated deaths reported to the National Vital Statistics System in the summer of 2020 found that around a quarter of decedents (24.2%) were Hispanic or Latino while 18.7% were non-Hispanic Black. Between May and August 2020, the percentage of distribution of Hispanic decedents increased from 16.3% to 26.4%.

On January 12, 2021, the MJH Life Sciences™ COVID-19 Coalition will host an event dedicated to examining solutions to this multipronged problem and the role clinicians can play in the work toward resolutions.

The free webinar, titled “Color and COVID-19: The Virus’ Disproportionate Impact,” will feature the following experts:

• Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH, a COVID-19 Coalition Member and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Nwamaka Eneanya, MD, MPH, FASN, an assistant professor of medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
• Ebony Jade Hilton, MD, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the University of Virginia and medical director at GoodStock Consulting, LLC
• Taison Bell, MD, an assistant professor of medicine and director of the medical intensive care unit at the University of Virginia

The MJH Life Sciences COVID-19 Coalition is a partnership with 10 nationally recognized experts in infectious disease, public health, epidemiology, and virology, who work to generate the most accurate, up-to-the-minute information on the pandemic's ever-evolving impact on health care professionals and the patients they treat through live, biweekly webinar events, white papers, and surveys.

MJH Life Sciences™ is the parent company of The American Journal of Managed Care^®.

Learn more about the panelists and register for the webinar.