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Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Taskforce Report Outlines Significant Progress, Policy Recommendations in Protecting Communities of Color from COVID-19
The first-of-its-kind Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Taskforce released recommendations for collaborative policy, programming and systemic change to protect communities of color from the spread of COVID-19 and create lasting structural change. The report, which provides a progress report on the taskforce’s short- and long-term goals, finds that actions taken by the State of Michigan in 2020 and 2021 helped reduce health-based racial disparities in COVID-19 response and deaths.
A study by the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices found that Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities has made significant and sustainable progress towards its goal of reducing health-based racial disparities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Upon formation, the Task Force took immediate action to address racial health disparities and proposed solutions to address disparities. Key actions implemented to address racial disparities of the COVID-19 pandemic included reducing barriers to testing in communities of color, expanding testing to the most at risk for serious illness, developing culturally competent messaging for best practices of COVID-19 mitigation, improving racial data collection and sharing, and improving access to health care for marginalized populations.
The Task Force also developed two additional work groups that provided input and recommendations related to racial disparities in environmental justice and telemedicine. The environmental justice workgroup was established to address the environmental issues that play a significant role in the health and welfare of communities of color. The access to telemedicine workgroup was established to address the disproportionate access communities of color experience when seeking doctors and primary care services.