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A hundred million.
That's how many cases of COVID have occurred in the United States since March 2020 with a total death toll of more than 1 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many people are well aware that many Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) members of the collective community have borne the brunt of these statistics which have become reality with higher death rates due to poverty and health care inequity.
According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, blacks, Latinos and Native Americans are dying from COVID-19 at nearly three times the rate of white people, and these groups continue to die at a higher rate, especially the elderly — a from the most vulnerable population groups.
Covid Metrics by Race – Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – UMich Partnership
“As a society and a community in the United States, we've basically gotten to the place where we're learning to live with the pandemic,” said Bridget Hurd, Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan's vice president of inclusion and diversity, chief diversity officer and member of the Task Force on Racial Michigan's COVID-19 Disparities. “However, there is still a pandemic because there are still nearly 400 people dying each day from COVID-19, and in Michigan, we average just over 2,000 cases of the coronavirus per day. In Detroit, the numbers are growing.”
Other health issues also have shocking statistics.
Blacks around the world have rates of high blood pressure that are the same as whites, but in the United States the difference reveals that about 43 percent of African Americans have high blood pressure compared to 27 percent of white Americans, the WebMD.
Black adults in the United States are also 60% more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes, according to reports.
Not resting on its laurels in finding solutions, a new Midwest health equity-based coalition recently unveiled a strategy to develop responses to unfair systems that create more barriers to accessibility.
The Midwest Health Equity Coalition was recently formed by a diverse group of mission-aligned health systems, a Medicare Advantage health plan, a healthcare analytics solutions company, the Illinois Association for Community Health Centers, key health policy figures and additional health collaborators. The alliance will work as an expert group dedicated to finding best practices that can be used nationally to reduce racial health disparities among underprivileged seniors in Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois.
The coalition is the brainchild of Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, founder and executive chairman of Zing Health and former director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, and Andy Slavitt, a health care consultant and former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Initial coalition membership includes Sinai Chicago, the Illinois Primary Health Care Association and CareJourney. Additional key partners will be announced in the coming months.
“The coalition is committed to addressing health care disparities and reducing the burden of disease in black communities,” Slavitt said. “Our goal is to ensure that underserved communities receive the preventive services and quality care they need and deserve to improve health outcomes.”
Whitaker told the Michigan Chronicle recently that the Midwest Health Equity Coalition was formed because there are many different health systems and other entities “doing great work” on health equity, but more could be done collectively to find answers to growing health issues related to with BIPOC, such as dealing with higher cases of COVID, diabetes, hypertension and other issues.
“They are doing it [finding solutions] in their little part of the world and no one knows that this work is going on,” Whitaker said. “One aspect of the Coalition is to really shine a light on promising models that can improve diabetes, hypertension and behavioral health. … The other part of it is really coming together with these different health systems and health associations, part of the Coalition to break new ground in terms of developing clinical models that can have an impact.”
“Equity gaps in care and access disproportionately affect black and brown communities, resulting in a higher prevalence of chronic care and racial disparities in health outcomes,” Whitaker said. “This coalition will identify, support, and shine a light on innovative and cost-effective ways frontline health care providers deliver preventive care to older adults—particularly, Medicare-eligible and disabled people of color. The goal is ultimately to lead to better care so that all people can get the services they need, regardless of race, disability or socioeconomic status.”
The coalition's top goals include researching the social factors that increase the likelihood that patients will develop chronic diseases and have trouble controlling them. To increase the quality and accessibility of care, the findings of the coalition study will be used to identify people who may benefit from home services or social and community assistance.
In 2023, the group will present its preliminary findings and recommendations to address health care disparities.
From identifying best practices, promoting Medicare policy changes, and improving access to preventive health care among Medicare-eligible and disabled older adults of color, the Coalition will reduce racial health disparities among underserved older adults, while it will examine best medical practices that can be replicated across the country.
Quality care for diabetes and other conditions can be difficult in communities with limited physicians or primary care physicians who may not be familiar with disease management. The coalition works on initiatives that include assistance in obtaining necessary appointments, transportation and social services to manage these conditions. Additional improvements include benefits such as free insulin and no-cost continuous glucose monitoring for eligible seniors, regardless of their ability to pay.
The coalition will report its initial findings and recommendations to address health care disparities in 2023.
Senior writer Donald James contributed to this report.
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