Public health care also part of social justice

Bethany Bump’s report, “COVID -19 took an unequal toll on communities of color. A study says structural racism is to blame,” indicated an academic reasoning to accelerate equal protection of public health law among our families and neighbors.

The study suggested university researchers, community organizations and government policymakers need “more and better data” to know about the public health disparities and how to end them.

The state government can initiate the comprehensive emergency management plan and long-term recovery plan to administer Health and Social Services Recovery Support Functions. Each county government can renovate its registry of disabled people by collecting information from all residents for special needs and services. Social justice organizations in cooperation with the Ualbany research network can use the state government’s Comprehensive Emergency Preparedness Assessment to attain data critical for sustainable health and social services to mitigate future disparities.

I know the intransigent political and economic obstructionists will minimize equal protection of public health law. However, coordination by social justice advocates and nonprofit organizations toward community planning and capacity building recovery support functions can alter that situation.

Application to the federal Disaster Relief Fund and to regional economic development councils can provide monies to invest in programs and projects for our democracy’s human rights.

I hope social justice advocates will partner with academic faculties and nonprofit organizations to improve our public health system for all our families and neighbors in our whole community.

Michael Mcglynn

Watervliet