Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Struggles To Address COVID Racial Inequities Without Adding To Stigmas
AP: US Agency Vows Steps To Address COVID-19 Inequalities
If Black, Hispanic and Native Americans are hospitalized and killed by the coronavirus at far higher rates than others, shouldn’t the government count them as high risk for serious illness? That seemingly simple question has been mulled by federal health officials for months. And so far the answer is no. But federal public health officials have released a new strategy that vows to improve data collection and take steps to address stark inequalities in how the disease is affecting Americans. Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stress that the disproportionately high impact on certain minority groups is not driven by genetics. (Stobbe, 7/25)
Undark: Artificial Intelligence, Health Disparities, And Covid-19
And over the past few years, a steady stream of evidence has demonstrated that some of these AI-powered medical technologies are replicating racial bias and exacerbating historic health care inequities. Now, amid the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, some researchers are asking whether these new technologies might be contributing to the disproportionately high rates of virus-related illness and death among African Americans. African Americans aged 35 to 44 experience Covid-19 mortality rates that are nine times higher than their White counterparts. Many African Americans also say they have limited access to Covid-19 testing. (McDullom, 7/27)
Los Angeles Times: They Made A Home Under L.A.’s Freeways. But Soon They Could Be Forced To Move
The 105 Freeway roared overhead as homeless outreach worker Daniel Ornelas knelt to speak with Genia Hope.Hope’s home has been, for years, a sprawling complex of tents beside a tangle of freeways in southeast Los Angeles County. Like many homeless people, she has chosen to live under or near a freeway because it affords some measure of safety compared with other spots where homeless people bed down. (Oreskes, 7/26)
AP: Medical Clinic To Serve Homeless People In Grand Rapids Area
Six organizations in the Grand Rapids area are teaming up to provide free medical services for homeless people. They will operate a clinic at the downtown location of Mel Trotter Ministries, one of the participants. The others are Grand Valley State University’s Kirkhof College of Nursing; Mercy Health Saint Mary’s; Metro Health–University of Michigan; Michigan State University–College of Human Medicine; and Spectrum Health. (7/26)
Also —
The New York Times: Beyond The Law’s Promise: 30 Years Since The Passage Of The Americans With Disabilities Act
This series explores how the Americans With Disabilities Act has shaped modern life for people with disabilities in the 30 years since it was passed. (7/26)
NPR: ADA At 30: 'We Are Not The Ones That Need To Change'
Before the Americans with Disabilities Act granted people with disabilities greater protection and accessibility, a little-known law set the groundwork. In 1977, Judy Heumann helped lead a peaceful protest that forced the government to follow through with Section 504. As part of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, the law would force hospitals, universities and other public spaces that received federal money, to remove barriers to accessibility for all Americans. But its implementation was long delayed over the costs necessary to retrofit buildings to comply with the law. (Shapiro and Bowman, 7/26)
