Let’s tackle health disparities so Black, Hispanic Texans are harmed less by COVID-19

As the coronavirus pandemic ravages communities across our country and the globe, the most vulnerable populations – minorities, older adults and traditionally under-served communities are hit especially hard.

A recent U.S. study found that African Americans experience higher death rates, and higher prevalence rates of chronic conditions, which is especially dangerous given the way COVID-19 attacks its victims. Additionally, in some areas of the U.S., Covid-19 is killing up to three times more Hispanic individuals than their white counterparts.

These statistics are alarming and underscore the need for Congress and health care professionals to work together to address the underlying factors that contribute to increased COVID-19 death rates among minority populations. To tackle this pressing problem and save lives, we must focus on common sense solutions such as expanding access to health care, expanding COVID-19 resources and ramping up our testing ability.

Factors such as a lack of basic access to health care exacerbate many of the recent disparities we see in our communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that Latinos are almost three times as likely to lack health insurance, and African Americans are almost twice as likely to be uninsured than non-Hispanic whites.

Texas has one of the largest uninsured populations in the country and the 33rd Congressional District of Texas that Congressman Veasey represents has one of the highest rates of population without health insurance in the country. We need to provide additional options for high-quality, affordable health care coverage, particularly for minority communities. This is particularly true now, with more than one million Texans having lost their health insurance due to COVID-19 job losses.

In addition, one of the most important things we can do to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and save lives in minority communities is to rapidly ramp up testing across all communities. With that in mind, we worked with Mercy Clinic and CVS Health to make rapid COVID-19 testing available at Mercy Clinic’s South Fort Worth site. Appointments are available at no cost, a personal vehicle is not required and people receive results on the spot.

Ramping up efficient testing operations and making them available in vulnerable communities is key to protecting the health of the community and ensuring a safe reopening of our economy; these public/private partnerships are an example of that. This move has helped many minority and underserved communities in the Metroplex get access to testing so that those who are infected can get necessary treatment and quell the spread of this deadly virus.

It is evident that deeply systemic issues such as density of households, unemployment and pervasive discrimination are driving these disparities, and are fueling a higher infection and death rate during COVID-19 in minority communities.

To protect lives in underserved communities, we urge states like Texas to expand access to health care for low-income individuals and to keep ramping up testing across communities that are most in need. These measures will help stop the spread and help save lives.