The Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Taskforce released recommendations on Friday for collaborative policy, programming and systemic change to protect communities of color from the spread of COVID-19 and create lasting structural change.
The Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Taskforce released recommendations on Friday for collaborative policy, programming and systemic change to protect communities of color from the spread of COVID-19 and create lasting structural change.
The report found that actions taken by the state in 2020 and 2021 helped reduce health-based racial disparities in COVID-19 response and deaths. It also outlines a progress report on the short and long-term goals of the taskforce.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer created the taskforce in April 2020, appointing Dr. Marijata Daniel-Echols, program officer at The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a CMF member, to serve on the task force along with other leaders from the health sector, academia, government and nonprofits.
In support of the taskforce several working groups were established: The Centering Equity Workgroup, the Primary Care Connections Workgroup, the Strategic Testing Infrastructure Workgroup and two additional work groups that focused on racial disparities in environmental justice and telelmedicine. Each workgroup developed recommendations in their respective focus areas.
Key recommendations introduced by the task force:
Strategic Testing Infrastructure Group
• Improve racial and ethnic data collection and use it to address racial and ethnic disparities.
• Continue to fund neighborhood testing and vaccination sites and mobile health units to provide new and existing health and social services to historically marginalized communities.
• Provide more robust translation of materials and interpretation assistance to reduce or eliminate language barriers to care.
• Establish a process and infrastructure to send alerts to key community partners and/or residents regarding COVID-19 infection rates and problem areas.
Primary Care Connections Workgroup
• Decrease the number of uninsured and underinsured Michiganders. The historically disproportionate number of uninsured and underinsured people has exacerbated underlying chronic health conditions in communities of color.
• Fully leverage Health Information Technology and data to reduce racial health disparities. The task force identified ongoing issues with interoperability between systems, which prevents adequate and effective sharing of patient data.
• Maximize the use of school-based clinics for expanded care delivery.
• Educate the public about mental health services. The task force recommends the development of a “Let’s Talk About It” campaign to promote the importance of talking about mental health and support services.
Centering Equity Workgroup
• Increase culturally competent data collection. Incorporating a thoughtful and consistent emphasis on cultural competence when performing all essential public health functions, including data collection.
“When we saw that COVID-19 was uniquely lethal in communities of color in Michigan, Governor Whitmer and I knew we had to act quickly,” Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist, chair of the Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Task Force said in a press release. “Two years later, the successes of the Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Task Force in balancing short-term needs with long- term goals have made it a national model on responding to racial disparities and flattening inequities. But we know there is more work to do – which is why I am proud to join the Task Force in releasing these recommendations to help us chart the way forward. Governor Whitmer and I look forward to continuing to work with the Task Force to protect Michigan communities and save lives.”
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