Race and Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

How One State’s Public Health Defunding Led to Vaccination Chaos

KFF Health News Original

The underfunding of public health and political backlash destabilized Missouri’s vaccine rollout, creating racial inequity and forcing some residents to drive hours to get shots.

Stop Blaming Tuskegee, Critics Say. It’s Not an ‘Excuse’ for Current Medical Racism.

KFF Health News Original

The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason Black Americans might hesitate to take the covid-19 vaccine. But many people say that current racism in health care and lack of access deserve more attention to move more Black Americans toward vaccine protection.

To Help Farmworkers Get Covid Tests and Vaccine, Build Trust and a Safety Net

KFF Health News Original

Testing and vaccinating essential workers on commercial farms and in meatpacking plants requires more than a pop-up clinic miles away. Missing work to get a test, or to quarantine after a positive result, can be financially devastating.

Black Churches Fill a Unique Role in Combating Vaccine Fears

KFF Health News Original

Churches are the keystone of a major campaign to bring good information about covid vaccines to Black communities. But pastors are finding that scarce supplies and a clumsy rollout are complicating efforts to urge vaccination.

‘Into the Covid ICU’: A New Doctor Bears Witness to the Isolation, Inequities of Pandemic

KFF Health News Original

Dr. Paloma Marin-Nevarez graduated from medical school during the pandemic. We follow the rookie doctor for her first months working at a hospital in Fresno, California, as she grapples with isolation, anti-mask rallies and an overwhelming number of deaths.

The Do’s and Don’ts on Social Media for Vaccine Haves and Have-Nots

KFF Health News Original

In the thick of a global pandemic, and with a vaccine rollout that has been less than optimal, it’s no surprise that selfies featuring the coveted covid shot surface on social media timelines. But is posting a vaccine selfie on your social media account a faux pas or a needed encouragement for others to get the shot?

Spurred by Pandemic, Little Shell Tribe Fast-Tracks Its Health Service Debut

KFF Health News Original

As the newest federally recognized tribe, the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana is starting from scratch to deliver health care to members. While covid-19 has been devastating, it has sped up the tribe’s ability to build a clinic. Yet, lacking a reservation, the tribe faces challenges reaching its scattered members.

Anti-Immigrant Vitriol Complicates Vaccine Rollout in Southern States

KFF Health News Original

Inoculating the millions of undocumented workers who produce America’s agricultural bounty will be key to achieving herd immunity against covid-19. But garnering the trust of these workers is proving complicated, particularly in the South, where the last four years have been marked by workplace raids and anti-immigrant vitriol.

Farmworker Camps to Urban Tent Cities: Tailoring Vaccine Info to Where It’s Most Needed

KFF Health News Original

Concerns arising in western North Carolina provide a window into the challenges facing health workers across the country as they seek to persuade vulnerable populations to be inoculated against covid.

Community Health Workers, Often Overlooked, Bring Trust to the Pandemic Fight

KFF Health News Original

As the pandemic brings long-standing health disparities into sharper view, community health workers are being asked to help the public health response. This fast-growing workforce helps fill the gaps between health care providers and low-income communities by offering education, advocacy and outreach.

In Austin, Some Try to Address Vaccine Inequity, but a Broad Plan Is Elusive

KFF Health News Original

The east side of Austin has few of the chain stores key to the Texas vaccination plan. But local officials have done pop-up vaccination events in the community to get more shots to Blacks and Latinos.

Food Guidelines Change but Fail to Take Cultures Into Account

KFF Health News Original

For decades, the federal government has tried to guide our eating habits. They once again revised recommendations, but they didn’t incorporate ethnic and cultural differences of the American diet. Here’s why.