Tackling racism as a public health crisis
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Public health departments are reporting progress in incorporating racial equity into their ongoing initiatives.
Catch up quick: Local and state officials made 2020 declarations condemning racism as a public health crisis.
- Data has long illustrated the health disparities between white and Black communities, including life expectancy. The problem gained renewed focus when the COVID-19 pandemic and protests happened simultaneously.
Zoom in: Franklin County Public Health hired an associate director of equity and inclusion that year, and Columbus Public Health shifted resources to create a Center for Public Health Innovation.
- Both are training staff and working to address underlying, systemic issues that can worsen health.
- Franklin County created an equity advisory council of over 50 organizations that continues meeting monthly to support its efforts.
What they're saying: Columbus' health commissioner, Mysheika Roberts, offered three examples of how the city's center has made a difference.
💉 Vaccine access: Giving recipients $100 gift cards and adding more clinic sites in 2021 through a "Vax Cash" program closed a 7% gap in COVID-19 vaccination rates between Franklin County's white and Black residents.
🚠Flavored tobacco ban: This 2022 ordinance enforced by the health department has reduced Columbus' number of tobacco retailers, which have historically targeted Black communities.
- The city's smoking rate (13%) has also dropped below the state average (15%).
🚓 Office of Violence Prevention: This city initiative launched in 2023 was a recommendation of the Center for Public Health Innovation. Gun violence disproportionately impacts Black neighborhoods.
The bottom line: "We know there's a different climate in our country now around racism and diversity," Roberts tells Axios, "but we're still committed to the work."