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Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Other
This episode from the podcast 99 Percent Invisible reflects on how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the American public to a long-standing problem: the disjointed nature of the U.S. health system. Because state and local health departments largely operate independently and use their own data collection and analysis tools, health systems across the country lack standardized data definitions and systems. These inconsistencies made it nearly impossible to collect and analyze comprehensive, standardized data on COVID-19 cases, deaths, and vaccines administered amid the pandemic. Health experts featured on this episode believe that the pandemic made the need for an overhaul of America’s informatics system very apparent. When rebuilding this system, it’s important to focus on remedying existing inequalities in data collection and classification that in some cases render the health status of certain populations – think Native American communities and other communities of color – completely invisible in the data. By virtue of being small populations, it can be difficult for health departments to collect sufficient and/or statistically significant data on minority communities. Another issue discussed in this episode is the use of broad racial categories like “other,” “multiple races,” or even “Asian American,” which, if not disaggregated, obscures the health status of diverse populations who are grouped under the same category. Without comprehensive and inclusive health data, it’s difficult to identify disparities and implement policies and programming that promote social mobility and health equity.
Best Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes when implemented in multiple real-life settings, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities.
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Systematic Review/Meta-Analysis
This review of state data collection and reporting practices during the COVID-19 pandemic found inconsistencies and gaps in data collected by race and ethnicity. Improved standardization across the U.S.–which may come in the form of a federally-operated centralized database–would address some of the concerns in data representation of all Americans.
Best Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes when implemented in multiple real-life settings, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities.
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Summary Report/Recommendations
This study uses data from the COVID Tracking Project’s Racial Data Tracker, which aggregates state-level COVID-19 reporting and tracking databases to determine racial/ethnic trends of COVID-19 incidence and evaluate the racial/ethnic distribution of COVID-19 related mortality in the US. Results found that disparities are more apparent at the county and city level, and discusses the importance of transparent, local data in order to allow for greater precision in resource allocation and effective policy changes aimed at reducing disparities. The study includes choropleth maps of the results by state.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Peer Review Study
This study details a national, state-level analysis of COVID-19 infection and mortality disparities between ethnic and racial subgroups using data from the COVID Tracking Project. Results found significantly higher rates of COVID-19 infections among Hispanic and African American populations. A choropleth map of disparities in the United States was produced as part of the study.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Summary Report/Recommendations
This article documents the efforts of the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response, Recovery, and Resilience Team, a partnership of academic, government, and community organizations. Their goal was to analyze the utilization, public reporting, and quality of race and ethnicity health data to inform policy changes and promote equity. Through this partnership, the group created solutions for issues such as aggregation of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in health data, how data is reported through the health department, and discussions with testing labs and health institutions to create more standardized race and ethnicity data.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Peer Review Study
The article highlights a model developed by community leaders and researchers to make national- and state-level Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) COVID-19 data available.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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White Paper/Brief
This paper serves as a foundational look into how structural racism and social determinants of health impact communities of color — particularly Black and Latino communities — in Massachusetts. This document uses local Massachusetts and national data sources to examine multiple factors for health inequities among racial minorities within the state. The primer covers demographic profiles, social drivers of health, access to coverage and care, service utilization, health outcomes, and the disparate impact of COVID-19 with infographics across multiple areas of health.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Summary Report/Recommendations
This article explores how the relationships between vaccine site density, vaccination rates, and social vulnerability are connected across metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in the U.S. The study uses CDC Social Vulnerability Index data combined with vaccination site density data to examine how vaccination site placement can benefit highly vulnerable populations. The results determined that while areas with higher socioeconomic vulnerability contain a large density of vaccination sites, this does not affect the low vaccination rates found in these communities. Other methods besides vaccination site placement must be considered to overcome these barriers in vaccination rates.