Michigan’s leadership in addressing racial disparities linked to COVID-19 is being lifted up at the national level. A report by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy highlights the effectiveness of the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities in reducing COVID-19 related cases and deaths among African American residents.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer established the Michigan COVID Task Force on Racial Disparities in April, appointing Dr. Marijata Daniel-Echols, program officer at The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to serve on the task force along with other leaders from the health sector, academia, government and nonprofits.

As CMF has reported, according to the state’s data, the average number of new cases for African American residents in Michigan dropped from 176 per million population per day in March 2020 to 59 per million population per day in October 2020.

The task force has become a national model that also inspired the Biden administration’s new equity task force. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive and deputy director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), who served as chief strategist of Michigan's coronavirus response, was appointed last week to serve on the federal health equity task force.

As efforts continue at the federal level and across the country to address the challenges of COVID-19, the national report highlights key successes through the leadership of the Michigan task force and the state.

The report points to Michigan’s work in several areas including:

• The distribution of 6 million free masks through the MI Mask Aid Initiative.

• Administering more than 24,000 free COVID-19 tests in previously underserved communities across 21 neighborhood testing sites.

• The governor declaring racism as a public health crisis.

• The state requiring implicit bias training for all state employees.

• Increasing compliance with public health recommendations within African American communities.

• Improving the quality of data reporting on racial disparities.

• Funding 30 community organizations through the Rapid Response Initiative which is used to fund initiatives that respond to community needs associated with the impacts the virus has on communities of color.

• Responding to social determinants of health by providing resources to quarantined individuals, reducing housing insecurity through the Eviction Diversion Program and expanding eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for residents who were formerly convicted of drug felonies.

“Our administration took swift action to address the pre-existing racial inequities in health that were dangerously exacerbated by the pandemic and we are proud of the progress we’ve made towards eliminating COVID-19's disproportionate impact,” Whitmer said.

The national report outlines the key features that have made the Michigan task force model successful:

• Leadership: Michigan’s task force draws from a variety of perspectives when recommending and implementing solutions to address disparities throughout the state of Michigan.

• Sustainability: Governor Whitmer has institutionalized two units under this administration – the Black Leadership Advisory Council and the Michigan Poverty Task Force – that will continue to address underlying inequities throughout the state after the COVID-19 racial disparities task force concludes its work.

• Short-term and long-term partnerships: The task force has established partnerships with industry organizations, civil rights organizations and community-based and faith-based organizations.

During the task force’s meeting in early February, they discussed COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts which task force leaders say will be informed by their equity-centered recommendations and lessons learned in relation to testing accessibility and resources, as well as the work of the Protect Michigan Commission.

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Read the full report

Access the latest information from the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities.