Moves Toward Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis

Dr. Turck:
Coming to you from the ReachMD Studios, I’m Dr. Charles Turck.

The following is a brief news summary on a recent report that explores the declaration by Ohio’s most populated county that racism is a public health crisis, as reported by ABC News. Visit the site at ABCnews.com.

As of May 26^th, 2020, commissioners in Franklin County, Ohio, passed a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis and vowing to work under "antiracism principles" while supporting community efforts.

The declaration by the commissioners, which was part of their 2019 Rise Together Blueprint for addressing poverty in Central Ohio, comes a week after the Franklin County Board of Health passed a similar resolution.

“Racism has been a pandemic long before the current coronavirus pandemic,” Commissioner Kevin L. Boyce said in a statement.

The declaration describes race as a "social construct with no biological basis," identifying two types of racism: individualized racism and systemic racism. Individualized racism is described as internal, while systemic racism is referred to as a system that gives opportunities and assigns a person's value based on how they look.

Housing, healthcare, education, employment, and criminal justice were explicitly named as areas of life where discrimination is seen, particularly in healthcare. Racism has been associated with worse health outcomes, which was brought into the limelight by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to being at greater risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus, black residents are also more likely than others to die before the age of 75, have a three times higher rate of infant mortality, and are more likely to be overweight or obese and have adult-onset diabetes, based on data from the Franklin County Board of Health.

And according to Commissioner Marilyn Brown, “We won’t solve these things overnight, but it’s important to start by recognizing them and beginning to work purposefully for change.”

Since Franklin County announced its declaration, many other counties across the nation have also followed suit, contributing to the growing movement.

For ReachMD, I’m Dr. Charles Turck. To access more details on this news report, visit ABCnews.com. And as always, to add your perspectives toward the fight against this global pandemic, visit us at ReachMD.com and become Part of the Knowledge. Thank you for listening.