Health equity at issue

Health commissioner addresses gaps in minority health care

Lorain County Health Commissioner Dave Covell addressed minority health and current initiatives to look into gaps in care and trends.

Covell, in a June 10 presentation to Lorain County commissioners, said while infant mortality rates have been on a steady decline, there is work to do in providing equal access to health and wellness.

“We spent a lot of time — especially over the last 10 years — we’ve spent a lot of time identifying data points where we can look at inside our community, where are the most adverse effects happening in terms of health,” he said. “And a lot of those point to health equity sources.”

Following the Lorain County Health Department’s first community health improvement plan released in

2013, it noticed African

American infant mortality was more than 20 per 100,000 — higher than the state of Ohio, which was 15.

To address the issue, the health department worked on coordinating services and have reduced African American infant mortality in the county by more than half to between 8.5 to 9 per 100,000, Covell said.

“This really is all about health equity and the idea about access to care and access to fresh fruits and vegetables.”

— Dave Covell

“Our concern was, how do we adjust that, how do we direct our resources so we can help mom and help baby have a better health outcome?” he asked.

In analyzing the impact of the novel coronavirus on minority populations, Covell said it’s a question of health equity and access to care.

The health department is focusing on kindergarten readiness through the “Thrive to Five” initiative and is developing new partnerships with childcare centers to improve health outcomes by focusing on early childhood education.

For a number of years, underlying conditions people have, such as cardiovascular disease and asthma, are resulting in more severe COVID-19 symptoms and minority populations have struggled with chronic disease at a higher rate, Covell said.

“This really is all about health equity and the idea about access to care and access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” he said.

“A lot of other issues that go around the community that cause these underlying health conditions.

“And now, COVID-19 has brought that to the forefront to show that these underlying health conditions are really having an adverse effect and really, COVID-19 is affecting them more.”

In looking at why minority populations are testing positive at higher rates, Covell noted minorities work in health care at higher rates, increasing their exposure and access to testing.

“There are a lot of minority populations that have jobs that are the jobs to take care of us all; the people who work in nursing homes or in the nursing field or in hospitals in other areas,” he said. “

There’s a larger percentage of minority populations that actually have those jobs, so therefore, it makes sense that there may be more people tested and therefore more people positive.”

While Lorain County has made some inroads in becoming more equitable, Covell acknowledged that there is more work to do, a sentiment Commissioner Matt Lundy agreed with.

“We are all white on this discussion today, and if you do live in a community of color, you do see this as a health care crisis because it’s greatly impacting families of color, children of color, and now the community is asking you to do more than just talk, we want a commitment,” Lundy said.

“We are all white on this discussion today, and if you do live in a community of color, you do see this as a health care crisis”

—Commissioner Matt Lundy