Report: Key States Take Steps To Reach Out To Black Communities Hit With High Death Rates
Stateline contacted 16 states with higher percentages of black people to find out whether any states were taking concrete actions to stem COVID-19 cases and deaths in black communities. "The virus isn’t going after black people. It’s because of structural inequities that have led to poor health and greater exposure to the virus.” said Lisa Cooper, a professor of medicine and public health at Johns Hopkins University. Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, South Carolina and Virginia provided the greatest detail on how they are responding. Other news reports on the death of two black men in the District of Columbia.
Stateline:
COVID-19 Is Crushing Black Communities. Some States Are Paying Attention.
To find out whether any states were taking concrete actions to stem COVID-19 cases and deaths in black communities, Stateline contacted the 16 states where black residents make up a larger percentage of the population than the national rate of 13%. Most responded that they are assembling task forces and conducting studies of health disparities. But among those states, all of which were contacted by email and phone, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, South Carolina and Virginia provided the greatest detail on what they are doing to concentrate special medical resources and social services in predominantly low-income and black neighborhoods. (Ollove and Vetal, 5/27)
NPR:
COVID-19 Racial Disparities Could Be Worsened By Location Of Test Sites
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the country, state and local health officials rush to try to detect and contain outbreaks before they get out of control. A key to that is testing, and despite a slow start, testing has increased around the country. But it's still not always easy to get a test. While many things can affect access to testing, location is an important starting point. NPR investigated the location of public testing sites in Texas, one of the first states to reopen, to see how they were distributed between predominantly white and predominantly minority areas. (McMinn, Carlsen, Jaspers, Talbot and Adeline, 5/27)
The Washington Post:
Two Black Men Died Of Covid-19 Five Days Apart. This Is What Was Lost.
George Valentine sat hunched on the bottom step of his Capitol Hill rowhouse, a bald man in black sweatpants staring through the open front door, too breathless to speak. It was about 1:30 p.m. on the last Wednesday in March, and he was waiting for the ambulance he had called to arrive. George’s son, Darrell, was upstairs in his bedroom, trying to get some space from his father’s demands — to walk the dog, to bring him medicine, to find the thermometer. (Trent, 5/26)
