Amid protests for racial justice and an end to police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a rising number of U.S. local leaders are creating city and county resolutions to declare racism a public health crisis and also commit to specific actions, as a first step toward lasting, meaningful change. In fact, a record 57 cities and other governmental entities approved resolutions to declare racism a public health crisis in June 2020, according to Michigan cartographer Alex B. Hill on Twitter on July 6, 2020. That brings the total to 90 governmental entities, according to Hill's map graphic.
Where Are Resolutions on Racism Happening?
Since 2019, at least 24 resolutions have been introduced or adopted, according to the Network for Public Health Law. Most recently, ...
In San Bernardino County (50% Latino), the Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 this week to make it California's first county to adopt a resolution to declare racism as a public health crisis, the L.A. Times reports. The resolution recognizes that racism "creates unfair disadvantages to some individuals and communities" and "results in disparities in family stability, health and mental wellness, education, employment, economic development, public safety, criminal justice and housing." In addition, the resolution commits to action, according to the report: Enhance diversity in the county workforce;
Study existing county policies and practices "through a lens of racial equality to promote and support efforts that prioritize health for people of color";
Plan collaborations ...
In a move that shows how social movements can address local health, Black Lives Matter advocates are helping push for a grocery store in a food desert in Oklahoma City (14.6% Black, 19.2% Latino). The advocates brought a demand for a store to city leaders. They met with Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, Homeland grocery store President and CEO Marc Jones, and economic developers to discuss plans for building the 30,000-square-foot store to a local food desert on the Northeast side of the city, according to Patrina Adger of KOCO News. The area's only grocery store closed down about a year ago. This left neighbors with little access to fresh fruits and vegetables. "Obviously it's just this huge unmet need [for healthy food options] for a number of years," Jones of Homeland told ...
Systemic racism makes it harder for Latinos and other people of color to get healthcare, housing, transportation, education, employment, healthy food, safe treatment by police, and more. How can cities and states take a meaningful step to address racism? Declare racism a public health crisis. That’s what cities and counties in Ohio are doing, with a commitment to: Incorporate educational efforts to dismantle racism.
Review all portions of codified ordinances with a racial/ethnic equity lens.
Prioritize policies that will have the most beneficial health impact on people of color.
Train elected officials, staff, funders and grantees on workplace biases and how to mitigate them. “Through race-conscious policy-making, we’ve got to unwind the generations of ...
As educators quickly adapted to virtual platforms to stay in academic contact with students after schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, many at-risk students were stranded in potentially unsafe, traumatic home situations. How could schools, while closed, still check on child welfare and connect families to resources? To answer this question, child advocates started brainstorming. West Virginia, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma advocates launched a bi-weekly Brainstorming Group March 25, 2020, to share best practices, recommendations, and resources to help these kids. Soon, advocates joined from Ohio, Maryland, Florida, and Texas (including Salud America!). The group generated four main recommendations:
1. Continue Sending ‘Handle With Care’ Notifications
Did you ...
Housing and transportation are two key ingredients for health equity. In a good combination, people easily find affordable housing near schools, jobs, groceries, and healthcare. In a bad combination, people struggle to find affordable housing near essential destinations and transportation options. They have to rely on expensive vehicle ownership or infrequent transit with unsafe streets and no sidewalks or bike lanes. Which does your neighborhood have? City leaders probably don’t know. So they aren’t able to invest in a meaningful mix of affordable housing and transportation. Residents can’t find a good combination, either. LINK Houston is trying to change that. The advocates’ report, Where Affordable Housing and Transportation Meet in Houston, helps city and ...
A soda tax aims to reduce sugary drink consumption and boost public health. In a new twist, Seattle is using soda tax revenues to give emergency $800 grocery vouchers for 6,250 families amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Next City reports. City leaders mailed a $400 voucher in March 2020 for families to buy groceries at Safeway. They will send a second $400 voucher this month. Mayor Jenny Durkan called this rapid-response to coronavirus "remarkable." “As schools and child care facilities close, we need to do everything we can to support families and ensure they can put food on the table,” Durkan said, Next City reports.
Sugary drinks do not contribute to good health, especially among Latinos, according to a Salud America! research review.
Let's examine how soda ...
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff announced the addition of Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, to the COVID-19 Health Transition Team, which is working on a plan to slowly reopen the city economy after social distancing. Nirenberg and Wolff wrote a joint memo that stay-at-home rules have saved lives. Yet they acknowledge social distancing isn't permanent. "Our community needs a local strategy to reenter into everyday life," Nirenberg and Wolff wrote. "These decisions have critical implications on our community – including our ability to avoid subsequent outbreaks, ensure we protect our most vulnerable populations, especially those in high-risk professions, and to identify parameters for transitioning ...
People need to stay home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Covid-19. However, for the 27% of the U.S. private workforce with no paid sick leave, staying home isn’t an option, particularly for the full prescribed 14-day quarantine. That’s why a form of paid sick leave and family/childcare leave are part of a new $100 billion relief law, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which also includes nutrition aid, unemployment health insurance, and free COVID-19 testing. Trump signed the new law on March 18, 2020. It goes into effect April 2, 2020. But the new law could leave out up to 19 million workers, roughly 12% of the workforce, including many low-income Latinos, women, and other vulnerable populations, experts say. Moreover, economists estimate that three ...
