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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.
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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Case Study
The Oregon county with the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the United States began its response in the earliest days of the pandemic. The county’s Emergency Operations Center wanted to center equity in its response and did so by rapidly creating new positions on the team: an Equity Officer, an Equity Technical Advisor, and a Language Access Coordinator. It also established an Equity Team within the center. This allowed responses to quickly identify and respond to population needs, especially those in communities of color experiencing disproportionate impacts of disease spread and burden.
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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Case Study
The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene partnered with 45 businesses or faith-based organizations in the Northeast Bronx to increase COVID-19 and flu vaccine knowledge and uptake in predominantly Black and Hispanic areas. The program disseminated health information through trusted community leaders to address vaccine hesitancy. ZIP codes with higher involvement in the program showed greater increases in vaccination rates.
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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Case Study, Peer Review Study
This article describes the rapid statewide COVID-19 vaccination strategy implemented by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The strategy focused on equitable distribution and reaching hard to reach populations, including racial and ethnic minority groups and rural communities.
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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Case Study, Peer Review Study
Practice involves using “get out the vote” (GOTV) outreach strategies, conventionally used in political campaigns, along with mobile pop-up vaccine clinics, to encourage vaccination among marginalized communities.
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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Summary Report/Recommendations
Using available COVID-19 case and vaccination data, the CDC compared three different methodologies for grouping race/ethnicity COVID-19 data. Two of these methodologies are focused on how to group race/ethnicity when fields are missing. The results show that methods that use race information when ethnicity is missing resulted in higher estimated COVID-19 cases, incidence, and vaccination coverage. However, more work must be done to improve upon these methods in order to create more equitable and reliable data.
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.
RELEASE DATE:
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.
Novel Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and are in the process of generating evidence of effectiveness or may not yet be tested.
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Summary Report/Recommendations
This commentary describes racial disparities in access to medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) and how pandemic-related changes in access to MAT may exacerbate these disparities. The author also provides specific recommendations, including actions that can be taken by local health departments to reduce race-based inequities in access to MAT during the pandemic.
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 commentary article summarizes community-academic partnerships and how they can be used to address vaccine hesitancy among Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities. The authors conclude that pro-vaccine interventions need to: (1) be empathetic to the fears of participants, (2) make a personal connection (e.g., appropriate self-disclosure), (3) deliver accurate information in a non-confrontational manner, and (4) avoid belaboring historical maltreatment and unsupported conspiracies. Moreover, healthcare institutions need to collaborate with community stakeholders to increase access to vulnerable populations and rebuild trust prior to offering interventions.
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.
RELEASE DATE:
Summary Report/Recommendations
This review summarizes vaccination rates, vaccine hesitancy, and predictors for vaccination among Hispanic and African-Americans across 13 studies. The article concludes with recommendations to address vaccine hesitancy in these populations.