Issue Category: Infectious Disease
Ensuring COVID-19 Vaccine Access, Safety, and Utilization: Building Vaccination Confidence in Communities of Color
This webinar comes at a critical juncture as COVID-19 vaccine development continues. As has been the case with previous public health emergencies, the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing racial inequities that have long existed in the U.S. Racial and ethnic disparities also continue in vaccine access, due to contributing factors such as lack of access to health coverage and care and issues of distrust.
Featured experts shared with policymakers and stakeholders the historical reasons for vaccine hesitancy in communities of color, highlighted ongoing vaccination disparities and discussed policy recommendations to build vaccine confidence and access in communities of color.
20 Public Health Organizations Condemn Herd Immunity Scheme for Controlling Spread of SARS-CoV-2
Great Barrington Declaration is not grounded in science and is dangerous
(Washington, DC – October 14, 2020) – SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 has infected at least 7.8 million people in the United States and 38 million worldwide. It has led to over 215,000 deaths domestically, and more than 1 million globally – with deaths continuing to climb.
If followed, the recommendations in the Great Barrington Declaration would haphazardly and unnecessarily sacrifice lives. The declaration is not a strategy, it is a political statement. It ignores sound public health expertise. It preys on a frustrated populace. Instead of selling false hope that will predictably backfire, we must focus on how to manage this pandemic in a safe, responsible, and equitable way.
The suggestions put forth by the Great Barrington Declaration are NOT based in science.
- There is no evidence that we are even remotely close to herd immunity. To the contrary, experts believe that 85 to 90 percent of the U.S. population is still at risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2. Herd immunity is achieved when the virus stops circulating because a large segment of the population has already been infected. Letting Americans get sick, rather than focusing on proven methods to prevent infections, could lead to hundreds of thousands of preventable illnesses and deaths.[i] It would also add greater risk in communities of color which have already experienced disproportionate impacts of the pandemic.
- The declaration ignores what are our best tools to fight the virus, i.e. wearing masks, physical distancing, hand-washing, avoiding large crowds, strategic testing, rapid isolation of infected people and supportive quarantine for people who need to isolate.
- We have seen the failure of the herd immunity experiment in nations such as Sweden, which has the highest mortality rate among Nordic countries.[ii] COVID-19 carries a much higher risk of severe disease and death than other infections where herd immunity was attempted before a vaccine was available.[iii] It is illogical to ignore public health and scientific evidence when so many lives are at stake.
Combatting the pandemic with lockdowns or full reopening is not a binary, either/or choice. We need to embrace common sense public health practices that allow for a safe reopening of the economy and a return to in-person work and learning while also using proven strategies to reduce the spread of the virus.
The declaration suggests a so-called focused protection approach. It suggests allowing the virus to spread unchecked among young people to create herd immunity in the entire population. This notion is dangerous because it puts the entire population, particularly the most vulnerable, at risk. Young people are not all healthy and they don’t live in vacuums.[iv] They interact with family members, co-workers and neighbors. Inviting increased rates of COVID-19 in young people will lead to increased infections rates among all Americans.
Public health guidance and requirements related to masking and physical distancing are not an impediment to normalcy – they are the path to a new normal. The goal is both public health safety and economic security; the two are not in conflict with one another, they are dependent on each other. We need to focus our efforts on the development and implementation of a national, science-based and ethical pandemic disease-control strategy.
The pandemic has created serious hardships on families’ economic security and on American’s mental health and well-being. What we need is a coordinated and robust national response including mask use, hand hygiene and physical distancing, while also ensuring social supports for those most vulnerable, including physical and mental health, and social factors. What we do not need is wrong-headed proposals masquerading as science.
This statement was authored by:
American Public Health Association
Big Cities Health Coalition
Trust for America’s Health
American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
Association of Public Health Laboratories
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
de Beaumont Foundation
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Directors
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Association for Rural Mental Health
National Network of Public Health Institutes
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Nurses Who Vaccinate
Prevention Institute
Public Health Institute
Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies
Well Being Trust
[i] https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/88401
[ii] https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/88401
[iii] https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/from-our-experts/early-herd-immunity-against-covid-19-a-dangerous-misconception
[iv] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6941e1.htm?s_cid=mm6941e1_w
New Report Recommends Policies to Protect and Improve Americans’ Health by Transforming the Public Health System
Nation’s Public Health System Needs Sustained Attention and Investment; The Report Provides Action Plan for the Administration and Congress Taking Office in 2021
(Washington, DC – October 6, 2020) — The COVID-19 pandemic sharply illuminated weaknesses in the nation’s public health system and ways in which structural racism put communities of color at disproportionate risk of negative health outcomes, according to a new report, The Promise of Good Health for All: Transforming Public Health in America. The report was released today by Trust for America’s Health. Among its findings is that the nation’s public health system is dangerously inadequate. The report offers a blueprint for policymakers taking office next year on how to strengthen the system, protect against health security threats, address the social determinants of health, and combat racism and other forms of discrimination that negatively affect community and individual health and resilience.
Americans are facing increasing environmental and weather-related threats from wildfires to hurricanes. Infectious disease outbreaks are a constant and complex risk as world travel allows small outbreaks to become worldwide threats in a matter of hours. Additionally, Americans have higher levels of chronic disease and mental health and substance misuse issues than ever before. As a nation, we spend over $3 trillion annually on healthcare but lag behind other developed countries in practically every health metric. A key to addressing these threats to the nation’s health is a significant investment in the public health system, including programs rooted in prevention and working at the population health level. The report calls for an annual $4.5 billion investment in the nation’s public health infrastructure including in 21st century data systems and a robust public health workforce.
“Even before COVID-19, numerous health emergencies, including infectious disease outbreaks like measles, Zika and Ebola, the opioid epidemic, weather-related events and lung injuries due to vaping demonstrated the urgency of a strong public health system,” says John Auerbach, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health.
“Each of these emergencies brought short-term attention to the importance of the public health system, but short-term attention is not enough. Without sustained investment the nation’s public health system we will not be ready to protect Americans’ lives and livelihoods during the next health emergency,” Auerbach said.
The conditions in which people live and work are key drivers of their health. Therefore, solutions to health risks and inequities largely exist outside the healthcare sector and reinforce the importance of investing in population health and the social determinants of health. Increasing the nation’s investment in health promotion and disease prevention will not only improve the quality of life for millions of Americans, it will help decrease the nation’s exploding healthcare spending.
The report focuses on five key priority areas:
PRIORITY 1: Make substantial and sustained investments in a more effective public health system including a highly-skilled public health workforce.
PRIORITY 2: Mobilize an all-out effort to combat racism and other forms of discrimination and to advance health equity by providing the conditions that optimize health.
PRIORITY 3: Address the social determinants of health including economic, social, and environmental factors that result in preventable illness, injuries and death.
PRIORITY 4: Proactively address threats to the nation’s health security.
PRIORITY 5: Improve health, safety, and well-being for all people by providing pathways to optimal health across the life span.
Among the report’s recommendations for federal policymakers are:
- Strengthen and modernize the public health system by creating a $4.5 billion per year Public Health Infrastructure Fund to support foundational public health capabilities at the state, local, territorial and tribal levels.
- Build 21st century public health surveillance systems at the federal, state and local levels to enable rapid detection and response to disease threats.
- Create a Health Defense Operations budget designation to build sustainable funding for public health programs that prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks.
- Make advancing health equity and eliminating health disparities a national priority with a senior-level, federal interdepartmental task force charged with adopting policies and programs in housing, employment, health, environmental justice and education that reduce health inequities and address the social determinants of health.
- Expand grants to address health inequities and ensure funding is reaching under-resourced, marginalized, and disproportionately affected communities.
- Prioritize increased funding for state, local, tribal and territorial public health emergency preparedness and response programs, such as CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness program and HHS’s Hospital Preparedness Program.
- Build surge capacity across the healthcare system and develop standards for healthcare facility readiness. Policymakers should provide payment incentives and reward facilities that maintain specialized disaster care capabilities.
- Grow the CDC’s Climate and Health Program so it can support every state, large cities, territories and tribes to be climate-ready. Clean air and water regulations should be restored and strengthened, including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.
- Increase research and effective messaging to build vaccine confidence and ensure that no person faces barriers to receiving all necessary vaccinations.
- Promote optimal health across the lifespan through access to health insurance, job-protected paid leave for workers, and significant investments in programs proven to support families and improve health – from babies to older adults.
The report is endorsed by the American Public Health Association, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, the Big Cities Health Coalition, the Public Health Institute, and the National Network of Public Health Institutes.
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Trust for America’s Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority. On Twitter at @HealthyAmerica1
A Blueprint for the 2021 Administration and Congress
TFAH Webinar Series: COVID-19- Special Issues and Reponses
Stay tuned for upcoming briefings and webinars
La tasa de obesidad en adultos de EE. UU. Supera el 42 por ciento; el más alto jamás registrado
Tener obesidad es un factor de riesgo de consecuencias graves durante el COVID; La pandemia podría aumentar los niveles de obesidad en el futuro debido al aumento de la inseguridad alimentaria.
(Washington, DC – September 17, 2020) – La tasa de obesidad en adultos de los Estados Unidos superó la marca del 40 por ciento por primera vez, situándose en 42,4 por ciento, según el reporte State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America, publicado hoy por Trust for America’s Health (TFAH). La tasa nacional de obesidad en adultos ha aumentado en un 26 por ciento desde el 2008.
El informe, basado en parte en los datos recientemente publicados en el 2019 del Sistema de Vigilancia de Factores de Riesgo del Comportamiento (BFRSS) de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (BFRSS) y el análisis de TFAH, proporciona anualmente las tasas de sobrepeso y obesidad en todo el país, incluso por edad, raza y estados de residencia.
Las tendencias demográficas y las condiciones de vida de las personas tienen un gran impacto en su capacidad para mantener un peso saludable. Generalmente, los datos muestran que cuanto más gana una persona, es menos probable que tenga obesidad. Las personas con menos educación también tienen más probabilidades de tener obesidad. Las comunidades rurales tienen tasas más altas de obesidad y obesidad severa que las áreas suburbanas y metropolitanas.
Factores socioeconómicos como la pobreza y la discriminación han contribuido a tasas más altas de obesidad entre ciertas poblaciones raciales y étnicas. Los adultos afroamericanos tienen el nivel más alto de obesidad adulta a nivel nacional con un 49,6 por ciento; esa tasa es impulsada en gran parte por una tasa de obesidad adulta entre las mujeres negras del 56,9 por ciento. Los adultos latinos tienen una tasa de obesidad del 44,8 por ciento. La tasa de obesidad para los adultos blancos es del 42,2 por ciento. Los adultos asiáticos tienen una tasa de obesidad general del 17,4 por ciento.
La obesidad y su impacto en la salud, incluidos los riesgos de COVID-19
La obesidad tiene serias consecuencias para la salud, incluyendo un mayor riesgo de diabetes tipo 2, presión arterial alta, aturdimiento y muchos tipos de cánceres. Se estima que la obesidad aumenta el gasto en atención médica en $ 149 mil millones al año (aproximadamente la mitad de los cuales son pagados por Medicare y Medicaid) y el sobrepeso y la obesidad es la razón más común por la que los adultos jóvenes no son elegibles para el servicio militar. Las preocupaciones sobre el impacto de la obesidad han adquirido nuevas dimensiones este año, ya que tener obesidad es una de las condiciones de salud subyacentes asociadas con las consecuencias más graves de la infección por el COVID, incluidas la hospitalización y la muerte. Estos nuevos datos significan que el 42 por ciento de todos los estadounidenses tienen un mayor riesgo de sufrir impactos graves, posiblemente fatales, en la salud por el COVID-19 debido a su peso y las condiciones de salud relacionadas con la obesidad.
“Para resolver la crisis de obesidad del país será necesario abordar las condiciones de la vida de las personas que conducen a la inseguridad alimentaria y crean obstáculos para tener mejores opciones de alimentos saludables y la actividad física segura. Esas condiciones incluyen pobreza, desempleo, viviendas segregadas y discriminación racial ”, dijo John Auerbach, presidente y director ejecutivo de Trust for America’s Health. “La pandemia de este año ha demostrado que estas afecciones no solo aumentan el riesgo de obesidad y enfermedades crónicas, sino que también aumentan el riesgo de los resultados más graves del COVID”.
La obesidad infantil también va en aumento
Las tasas de obesidad infantil también están aumentando según los últimos datos que muestran que el 19,3 por ciento de los jóvenes estadounidenses, de 2 a 19 años, tienen obesidad. A mediados de la década de 1970, el 5,5 por ciento de los jóvenes tenía obesidad. Tener sobrepeso u obesidad en la juventud los pone en mayor riesgo de tener obesidad y los riesgos para la salud relacionados en la edad adulta. Además, los niños presentan un inicio más temprano de lo que solían considerarse afecciones adultas, como la hipertensión y el colesterol alto.
Doce estados tienen tasas de obesidad en adultos superiores al 35 por ciento
Las tasas de obesidad varían considerablemente entre los estados y regiones del país. Mississippi tiene la tasa de obesidad adulta más alta del país con un 40,8 por ciento y Colorado tiene la más baja con un 23,8 por ciento. Doce estados tienen tasas de adultos superiores al 35 por ciento, son: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Luisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Carolina del Sur, Tennessee y Virginia Occidental. Recientemente en el 2012, ningún estado tenía una tasa de obesidad en adultos superior al 35 por ciento; en el 2000 ningún estado tenía una tasa de obesidad en adultos superior al 25 por ciento.
Inseguridad alimentaria y su relación con la obesidad
El informe incluye una sección especial sobre la inseguridad alimentaria y su relación con la obesidad. La inseguridad alimentaria está relacionada con dietas de menor calidad y con niveles más altos de obesidad en muchos grupos de población. La inseguridad alimentaria está estrechamente vinculada a las condiciones económicas. Hubo niveles más altos de inseguridad alimentaria durante la crisis financiera del 2008-2009 y los primeros datos indican un gran aumento en el número de familias estadounidenses que están experimentando inseguridad alimentaria debido a la crisis del COVID-19. Según los datos de la encuesta de la Oficina del Censo de los Estados Unidos, el 25 por ciento de todos los encuestados y el 30 por ciento de los encuestados con niños informaron haber experimentado inseguridad alimentaria entre abril y junio de este año.
Resolver la crisis de la obesidad requerirá iniciativas multisectoriales y cambios de política
El informe incluye recomendaciones sobre la mejor manera de abordar la crisis de la obesidad basada en dos principios: 1) la necesidad de un enfoque multisectorial y multidisciplinario y 2) un enfoque en los grupos de población que se ven afectados de manera desproporcionada por la crisis de la obesidad.
Las recomendaciones incluyen:
- Debido a que la emergencia de salud pública del COVID-19 continúa vigente, continuar con las exenciones de políticas de nutrición del Departamento de Agricultura (USDA) y expandir las comidas escolares sin costo para todos los estudiantes inscritos durante todo el año escolar 2020-2021.
- Aumentar los fondos para permitir la expansión de los programas críticos de prevención de la obesidad de los CDC, incluido el Programa Estatal de Actividad Física y Nutrición y el programa Enfoques Raciales y Étnicos para la Salud Comunitaria.
- Ampliar los beneficios en el Programa de Asistencia de Nutrición Suplementaria (SNAP, anteriormente conocido como “cupones de alimentos”) al aumentar los niveles máximos de beneficios, extender Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) para estudiantes y niños, duplicar las inversiones en SNAP-Ed y encontrar formas voluntarias de mejorar la calidad de la dieta sin perjudicar el acceso o los niveles de beneficios.
- Incentivar las empresas y el uso de la tierra pública para aumentar las opciones de alimentos saludables y lugares seguros para hacer actividad física.
- Desincentivar las opciones de alimentos poco saludables cerrando los vacios fiscales y eliminando las deducciones de costos comerciales relacionadas con la publicidad de alimentos y bebidas poco saludables para los niños y promulgando impuestos a las bebidas azucaradas donde los ingresos fiscales se asignan a los esfuerzos locales para reducir las disparidades socioeconómicas y de salud.
- Alentar a Medicaid a cubrir los programas pediátricos de control de peso para todos los beneficiarios elegibles.
El texto completo del informe está disponible |
La Fundación Robert Wood Johnson proporcionó apoyo para la serie de Informes sobre el estado de la obesidad. Las opiniones expresadas en este informe no reflejan necesariamente la opinión de la Fundación.
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Trust for America’s Health es una organización no partidista sin fines de lucro que promueve una salud óptima para cada persona y comunidad y hace de la prevención de enfermedades y lesiones una prioridad nacional.
TFAH and Other Leaders Launch Public Health Communications Collaborative to Support and Advance Public Health During COVID-19 Pandemic
(Washington, DC, September 2, 2020) – The Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC), launched today, will promote the value of public health to protect Americans’ health and safety as well as the nation’s economy. The collaborative will coordinate and amplify public health messaging on COVID-19 issues to increase Americans’ confidence in health guidance by communicating the best available science, by positioning public health leaders as expert spokespersons, and by quickly correcting misinformation.
“Unfortunately, misinformation and conflicting messages about COVID-19 have confused the American public at a time when clear guidance about how to protect their health is critical,” said John Auerbach, President, and CEO of Trust for America’s Health. “This collaborative will share information that will advance science-based decision making during the pandemic and in doing so will help save lives.”
Founding members of the PHCC are Trust for America’s Health, the CDC Foundation, and the de Beaumont Foundation. Partner organizations are the American Public Health Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the Big Cities Health Coalition, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, PATH, and Resolve to Save Lives.
The Public Health Communications Collaborative website will be a hub repository of information and messaging products designed to help state and local public health officials share information with their constituents and navigate the current media landscape. The site will be updated regularly with real-time messaging and resources.
To sign up for email updates from PHCC, visit the website.
TFAH Applauds the Introduction of the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 by Senator Smith (MN) and Senator Murphy (CT)
(Washington, DC – August 5, 2020) – Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), a non-partisan, independent public health policy, research and advocacy organization, applauds Senators Tina Smith (MN) and Chris Murphy (CT) for introducing the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020. This critical bill would address the social, economic and environmental conditions that affect the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans.
If enacted, the bill would create a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through grants, this program would improve the capacity of public health departments and community organizations to address social determinants of health and reduce health care costs by building multi-sector collaborations and addressing policies that currently inhibit good health. Grants would also be issued to nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education to conduct research on SDOH best practices, provide technical, training and evaluation assistance and/or disseminate those best practices. Lastly, the program would coordinate, support and align SDOH activities at CDC.
The President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, John Auerbach, congratulates Sen. Smith and Sen. Murphy on the introduction of the bill:
“The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the continued conversations our country is having about racism and racial justice, continue to put a spotlight on the social and economic conditions that contribute to an individual’s health outcomes during their life.
We know that a community’s resources directly impact the health outcomes of its residents. Now is the time to work to address these disparities, including those in housing, employment, food security and education.
This legislation would empower public health departments and community organizations to act as chief health strategists in their communities and lead efforts to convene partners across sectors to build integrated systems and programs that improve health and health equity.
The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 is an important next step in improving health outcomes, would reduce overall healthcare spending and help address health inequities; TFAH is proud to support this bill and urges Congressional support.”
This bill is the Senate companion bill to Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 (H.R. 6561), which was introduced by Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) in April 2020.
TFAH’s summary of the bill can be found here. For more information on The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020, please contact Daphne Delgado at [email protected].
In addition to TFAH, original endorsing organizations include:
1,000 Days
A Vision of Change Inc.
Addiction Professionals of North Carolina
Addiction Connections Resource
All Youth Access, LLC
Aligning for Health
America’s Essential Hospitals
American Art Therapy Association
American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work
American Association of Birth Centers
American Association on Health and Disability
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American College of Nurse-Midwives
American College of Preventative Medicine
American Federation of Teachers
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
American Institute for Cancer Research
American Kidney Fund
American Medical Student Association
American Public Health Association
Anders & Associates
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
APLA Health
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
Association of Minority Health Professions Schools
Association of Public Health Laboratories
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Association of State Public Health Nutritionists
Autism Family Services of New Jersey
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Behavioral Health Association of Providers
Berean Wellness & Community Support Center
Better Health Partnership
Bike Cleveland
Blue Shield of California
Bridges Into the Future
Brighter Beginnings
Brooklyn Perinatal Network Inc
Build Healthy Places Network
Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus
California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
CARE ADVISORS
Caregivers of New Jersey
Center for Civil Justice
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Ceres Community Project
ChangeLab Solutions
Chicago Youth Programs, Inc.
Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition
Cleveland Public Library
Coalition for Disability Health Equity
Commission on the Public’s Health System
Common Threads
Community Based Organization Partners (CBOP)- Brooklyn Chapter
Community Catalyst
Community Cup Classic Foundation
Community Engagement Studio of Flint
Community Health Councils
Community Resilience Initiative
Congregation of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC)
Cook County Department of Public Health
Counter Tools
Cuyahoga County Board of Health
Deborah’s Place
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Epilepsy Alliance America
Epilepsy Information Service of Wake Forest
Epilepsy Services of NJ
Epilepsy Services of New Jersey
Equality California
Equality North Carolina
Families USA
Farmworker Justice
Flint Association of Black Social Workers
flint rising
Flint Women’s Study Community Action Network
Florida Institute for Health Innovation
George Washington University Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement
Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice
Greater Chicago Food Depository
Greater Flint Health Coalition
GSK Consumer Healthcare
Health by Design
Health Leadership Legacy Project
Health Outreach Partners
Health Resources in Action
Health Care Improvement Foundation
Healthy Chesapeake
Healthy Kinder International
Hispanic Federation
Human Impact Partners
Human Rights Campaign
Illinois Association of Behavioral Health
Indiana Public Health Association
Impetus – Let’s Get Started LLC
Japanese American Citizens League
Jump IN for Healthy Kids
Justice in Aging
Lakeshore Foundation
Lanai Community Health Center
Latino Coalition for a Health CA
Lutheran Services in America
Maine Public Health Association
March of Dimes
MaryCatherine Jones Consulting, LLC
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Mid-City CAN (Community Advocacy Network)
Midwest Asian Health Association
MomsRising
MountainCare
Move United
NAACP
NASTAD
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Association for Rural Mental Health
National Association of Certified Professional Midwives
National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
National Association of Community Health Workers
National Association of Counties
National Association of County Behavioral Health & Development Disability Directors
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of School Nurses
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Collaborative for Education to Address the Social Determinants of Health
National Council of Jewish Women
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Medical Association (NMA)
National Network of Public Health Institutes
National Nurse-Led Care Consortium
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Recreation and Park Association
National Register of Health Service Psychologists
National WIC Association
National Working Positive Coalition
Nemours Children’s Health System
NERDS RULE INC
Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
New Jersey Association of County and City Health Officials (NJACCHO)
New Jersey Public Health Association
NOELA Community Health Center
North Carolina Alliance for Health
North Central Public Health District
North Dakota Rural Health Association
Northern Michigan Community Health Innovation Region
NOVA ScriptsCentral
One Joplin
Oregon Vision Coalition
PacificSource
PFLAG National
Physicians for Social Responsibility, AZ Chapter
Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles
Piedmont Access To Health Services, Inc.
Presbyterian Healthcare Services
Prevent Blindness
Prevent Cancer Foundation
Prevention Institute
Project for Whole Health Learning in K-12
Population Health Alliance
Public Health Alliance of Southern California
Public Health Foundation
Public Health Institute
Redstone Center for Prevention and Wellness
Respiratory Health Association
RESULTS
RESULTS DC
Silver State Equality-Nevada
SLM Consulting, LLC
Society for Community Research & Action (SCRA)
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Society for Public Health Education
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
tahoe forest Hospital Care coordination
Tennessee Justice Center
The AIDS Institute
The Center for Community Resilience
The Gerontological Society of America
The Health Trust
The Fairfield Group
The Family Resource Network
The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health
The National REACH Coalition
The Participatory Budgeting Project
The Praxis Project
The Pride Center at Equality Park
The Wall Las Memorias Project
Training Resources Network, Inc.
Treatment Action Group
Trust for America’s Health
United Way of Treasure Valley
Valley AIDS Council
Vita Health and Wellness Partnership
Washington State Department of Health
Wayne State University Center for Health and Community Impact
WE in the World
Well Being Trust
West Valley Neighborhoods Coalition
Western Idaho Community Health Collaborative
Wholesome Wave
Wisconsin Division of Public Health
Wright County Public Health
Congressional Briefing: Ending the Triple Pandemic: Advancing Racial Equity by Promoting Health, Economic Opportunity and Criminal Justice Reform
On July 30, Trust for America’s Health, American Public Health Association, NAACP, the National Black Nurses Association, the National Collaborative for Health Equity, and the National Medical Association hosted a virtual Congressional briefing focused on the disproportionate health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Black community and other communities of color, and how structural racism drives systemic inequities in health, the economy, and criminal justice.
TFAH and our co-sponsors have compiled the following resources:
- Congressional Briefing Recording (July 30, 2020)
- COVID-19 and the Disproportionate Impacts on Communities of Color, TFAH (July 29, 2020)
- Creating the Healthiest Nation: Advancing Health Equity, American Public Health Association (2020)
- National Collaborative for Health Equity Fact Sheet (2020)
- Allegories on race and racism, Dr. Camara Jones, TEDxEmory (July 10, 2014)
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CDC COVID-19 Response Health Equity Strategy (July 2020)
- We Hold These Truths, AAC&U and TRHT Institute (2020)
- Minimum Wages and Racial Inequality, Derenoncourt and Montialouix (June 26, 2020)
- Examining the Black-White Wealth Gap, Brookings (February 27, 2020)
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to Use of Paid Family and Medical Leave: Evidence from Four Nationally Represented Datasets, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (January 2019)
- Toward the Science and Practice of Anti-Racism: Launching A National Campaign Against Racism, Dr. Camara Jones, Ethnicity & Disease (2018)
- How Understanding Racism Can Move Public Health to Action, Dr. Camara Jones, The Nation’s Health, APHA (February 2016)
- Kelly Report: Health Disparities in America, Congressional Black Caucus Braintrust (2015)
- Systems of Power, Axes of Inequity Parallels, Intersections, Braiding and Strands, Dr. Camara Jones, Medical Care (October 2014)
- Addressing the Social Determinants of Children’s Health: A Cliff Analogy, Dr. Camara Jones, et al. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (2009)
- Levels of Racism: A Theoretical Framework and a Gardener’s Tale, Dr. Camara Jones, American Journal of Public Health (August 2000)
Pending Congressional Legislation:
- COVID-19 Bias and Anti-Racism Training Act – Press Release (July 15, 2020)
- A Resolution in Support of a U.S. Commission on Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation – Press Release (June 1, 2020)
- The Community Solutions for COVID-19 Act – Press Release (May 29, 2020)
- Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 – Fact Sheet (May 11, 2020)
- Rep. Chuy García leads Tri-Caucus to Introduce Landmark Health Equity and Accountability Act – Press Release (April 28, 2020)
Trust for America’s Health thanks our Congressional briefing cosponsors:
American Public Health Association
NAACP
National Black Nurses Association
National Collaborative for Health Equity
National Medical Association