Resources to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities

Updated: Jul 23, 2020

(Photo Credit: Unsplash)

Communicate often about the realities of COVID-19 to racial and ethnic minority communities.

Use language and communication mediums that are familiar and accessible, and ensure there are translations made available on pamphlets or through a translator during audio and video conferences.
Work with faith, spiritual, community, transportation, business, and housing organizations in order to find the most effective ways to share these messages, and to also eliminate racial and socioeconomic barriers to healthcare.
Provide information to healthcare professionals and systems on how to respectfully interact with patients and navigate cultural differences. The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care is one such resource that aims to improve healthcare quality.

Collect, analyze, and report on data that aims to shed light on health disparities in order to craft beneficial solutions for the communities.
Link people to resources for testing and care for COVID-19. Click here to find out how to get tested for COVID-19, testing locations, and associated references.
Link people to healthcare services for other serious medical conditions, and other resources that will make it easier to attain medications. Click here to learn more about underlying conditions that make people more susceptible to COVID-19, and actions you can take to protect yourself.
Educate yourself more on the social determinants of health, and how to take action. Click here to learn more about the social determinants of health.

Utilize the CDC’s standardized protocols and quality improvement guidance in healthcare settings that serve people from racial and ethnic minority groups.
Provide and engage in special training sessions that help providers and administrators recognize their implicit biases, and how such biases can affect their work and care methods.
Be more informed about socioeconomic conditions that may hinder patients from getting the care they need (i.e. working in a job that involves a lot pf patient interaction).
Cultivate a trusting relationship with patients and encourage them to contact you for questions.
Work with community leaders to determine how best to reduce cultural barriers to care. Click here to learn more about how to help reduce these barriers.
Provide certified medical interpreters when needed.
Connect patients with community resources that can help vulnerable populations, like those with underlying conditions and the elderly, in following their treatment plans.
If you are a healthcare provider, the CDC has compiled additional resources for navigating COVID-19 (i.e. how to address non-COVID-19 care, performing telehealth, etc.). Click here to learn more.

Prioritize resources for clinics, private practices, and other organizations that provide care for minority communities
Work with employers to help adjust workforce conditions to allow for a safer environment, and ensure that they do not penalize employees for taking sick leave. Click here for the CDC-recommended protocols for businesses navigating COVID-19.
Work with people to connect them with healthcare professionals and other resources that will help them in practicing social distancing, and receive other treatment options.
Promote social distancing precautions, including the importance of wearing masks and face coverings.
Help stop the spread of misinformation, and be sure to spread information from credible sources.
If you are part of a community organization, the CDC has compiled additional resources for navigating COVID-19 (i.e. information on how to communities can mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as they live, play, and work). Click here to learn more.

Educate themselves more on the social determinants of health, and how to take action. Click here to learn more about the social determinants of health.
Follow protocol to prevent the spread of COVID-19 if you have been exposed in order to protect the most vulnerable around us.

Together, we can overcome the systemic inequities plaguing healthcare and uplift all members of our communities.

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