Racism is a Public Health Crisis

The Population Health Alliance (PHA) of Calhoun County is dedicated to providing equitable health opportunities for everyone in our community. To do that effectively, we need to address public health issues as they arise. This includes acknowledging public health issues that are deeply impacting standards of care, life expectancies, and more.

COVID-19 has brought attention to the staggering health inequities for people of color, especially for people in the Black community, but these inequities have existed long before COVID-19. The data is bleak. According to national statistics: Black women are up to four times¹ more likely to die from pregnancy related complications. Black men are more than twice as likely² to be killed by police as white men. And the average life expectancy³ of African Americans is four years lower than the rest of the country.

The bigger issue here is that the overall health and susceptibility to certain diseases is much higher than white Americans amongst not just Black communities, but all communities of color. Factors including higher rates of poverty, unemployment, poor housing and toxic environmental exposure, as well as less access to quality medical care all contribute to poor overall health in communities of color. But after class and poverty are accounted for, people of color still have worse health outcomes than white Americans.

A lot of these inequities are related to stressors in daily life that systemic racism brings. People of color live with heightened stress and anxiety that take their toll on the body. This stress and anxiety can lead to high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, and a shorter lifespan, among other things. While the health risks are disheartening, racism is at the core, and something that must be addressed.

PHA currently collaborates with groups like the Bearcat Health Leadership team, which has focus areas and partners in the criminal justice system. These groups are working to improve behavioral health treatment for students connected to the criminal justice system. By supporting these causes, PHA is beginning to address health issues that are exacerbated by a criminal justice system that is built on systemic racism.

PHA is recognizing systemic racism as not just a threat to our society but as a public health crisis. Our organization will be outlining steps we can take to spur changes in all sectors of government—including our criminal justice, health care, transportation, housing, education, workforce/employment, etc.—to shrink the health gap and begin addressing this public health crisis. We truly believe that Black lives matter.

In order to make these goals reality, PHA will:

• Disaggregate data by race and work to better understand the root causes of the inequities that exist in our communities
• Serve as a source of education in the community to inform organizations and community members about existing inequities
• Identify areas where racism exists, and then develop strategies to eliminate racism and support communities of color. These strategies include actions like:
  • Promoting and supporting organizations to participate in an equity audit to identify areas of systemic racism and develop plans to address those areas
  • Promoting and supporting organizations to participate in unconscious bias training as recently ordered by the State of Michigan
  • Working to identify and seek resources and opportunities to provide greater partnership and support for communities of color (i.e. apply for grant opportunities, etc.). We are currently working with the Albion Health Care Alliance and Senior Partners to seek funding to support communities of color within the senior population.  
  • Additional strategies as determined by evaluation and need