ADAM: WELCOME BACK TO "CLOSE UP." PART OF DEALING WITH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS CONFRONTING ITS DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
AND THE DATA SHOWS, HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, RACIAL MINORITIES ARE STATISTICALLY AT GREATER RISK WHEN IT COMES TO THE VIRUS.
A NEW COVID-19 EQUITY RESPONSE TEAM HAS BEEN AT WORK TRYING TO COME UP WITH SOME WAYS TO ADDRESS THAT PARTICULAR PROBLEM.
JOINING US TODAY ARE TWO MEMBERS OF THE RESPONSE TEAM, THE CHAIRWOMAN, DR. TRINIDAD TELLEZ, AND ALSO DR. DOTTIE MORRIS FROM KEENE STATE.
GOOD MORNING.
WE APPRECIATE YOU JOINING US.
LET’S START WITH YOU, DR.
TELLEZ.
RIGHT OFF THE TOP IN THE REPORT, IT IS WRITTEN, "HEALTH EQUITY MEANS THAT EVERYONE HAS A FAIR AND JUST OPPORTUNITY TO BE AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE." WHY IS THAT NOT CURRENTLY THE
CASE?
>> HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE?
HEALTH EQUITY IS DETERMINED BY SO MANY FACTORS.
WE EXTENSIVELY DESCRIBED IN THE REPORT SOME OF THE FACTORS THAT FEED INTO THE COMPLEXITY OF WHAT ENDS UP MANIFESTING AS OUTCOMES AND HEALTH STATUS FOR EVERYBODY, ESPECIALLY THE DISPROPORTIONALLY
IMPACTED COMMUNITIES.
THERE IS A NICE GRAPHIC WE USE.
I FIND IT VERY HELPFUL TO CLEANING THE FRAMEWORK FOR THINKING ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT CONTRIBUTES TO WHAT WE SEE AS HEALTH STATUS.
WE ALREADY KNOW HEALTH IS DETERMINED ONLY 20% BY HEALTH CARE AND 80% BY THINGS WE CALL THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH OR THE ENVIRONMENTS WHERE WE LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY SUCH AS
EDUCATION, HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, FOOD ACCESS.
ALSO, ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE AND QUALITY HEALTH CARE.
ACCESS TO JOBS THAT PAY WELL AND PROVIDE BENEFITS LIKE HEALTH INSURANCE.
AND EVEN MORE UPSTREAM THAN THAT, INSTITUTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL FACTORS THAT DETERMINE HOW OPPORTUNITY IS STRUCTURED IN ALL OF THESE VARIOUS SYSTEMS AND DOMAINS.
ADAM: DR. MORRIS, THE REPORT STATES THAT PEOPLE OF COLOR NEED TO BE ABLE TO TRUST THE SYSTEM.
>> THERE IS A PROBLEM.
I’M HOPING SOME OF THE CONTENT OF THE REPORT WILL ALLOW US TO NOW SAY THESE ARE SOME OF THE ISSUES WE NEED TO WORK ON.
THAT IS THE FIRST PART, RECOGNITION THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE NEED TO WORK ON.
I THINK THAT IS WHAT THIS REPORT IS ALLOWING US TO DO, TO PULL BACK THE LEADERS OF THE ONION AND START WORKING ON IT.
WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED THAT PROCESS IF PEOPLE READ THE REPORT AND WE START TO WORK ON THOSE.
THE SECOND THING IS TO COME INTO COMMUNITY WITH ONE ANOTHER AND HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE REPORT AND THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE REPORT THAT EACH INDIVIDUAL CAN TAKE ON AS THEIR
OWN BECAUSE I CONSIDER IT A LIVING DOCUMENT THAT WE ARE STILL ASKING PEOPLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO.
THAT IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO ANY MORE IMMEDIATE WAY, COME TOGETHER AND TAKE THINGS APART TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE WORK TOGETHER.
THE THIRD THING I THINK WE CAN DO RIGHT AWAY IS TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE PROCESSES WE HAVE IN PLACE THAT WE ALREADY KNOW ARE SERVING AS POTENTIAL BARRIERS TO PEOPLE GETTING WHAT THEY NEED IN
ALL THESE DIFFERENT AREAS.
I THINK WHEN WE START TO DEMONSTRATE SOME PROGRESS IN THOSE AREAS, THAT WILL REBUILD TRUST OR DEEP IN THE TRUST WE HAVE IN THE COMMUNITY.
ADAM: THE KEY TO BUILDING THE CASE FOR CHANGE IN ANY REGARD IS INFORMATION.
THIS EMPHASIZES THE CHANGES IN DEMOGRAPHIC DATA.
BUT WHEN YOU PUT THAT INTO ACTION, THE REPORT SAYS FUNDING SOURCES NEED TO HAVE GUIDELINES REFLECTIVE OF CONSIDERATIONS BEYOND THE EUROCENTRIC WORLDVIEW.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN PRACITCE?
>> YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT FOR THE FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS?
ADAM: EXACTLY.
AND GETTING OUTSIDE THE EUROCENTRIC WORLDVIEW.
>> WE SAW WITH SOME OF THE RECENT OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE NONPROFIT FUNDS THAT WELL-INTENTIONED SYSTEMS THEY GET CREATED ARE NOT ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE EQUALLY.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ETHNIC NONPROFITS OR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT EITHER DID NOT HEAR ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES OR THE SYSTEMS FOR MAKING IT KNOWN THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY WERE NOT TAILORED TO
MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAD ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION, OR THE REQUIREMENTS MADE IT SUCH THAT ONLY SOME PEOPLE THAT COULD JUMP THROUGH THE REQUIRED HOOPS OR ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.
WE NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND THINK ABOUT WHAT WE ARE REQUIRING.
SOMETIMES, THERE ARE THINGS WE DO BECAUSE WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE THEM A CERTAIN WAY IN THAT SYSTEM THAT HAS THINGS AS TRADITION.
THAT IS FROM A TRADITIONAL WESTERN, CORPORATE, BUSINESS MINDSET THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY ALWAYS HELPFUL.
ADAM: DR. MORRIS, WHEN PEOPLE OF COLOR CONFRONT ISSUES, HOW OFTEN IS IT OVER RACISM OR SOMETHING MORE UNDER THE RADAR?
AND HOW DOES THAT MANIFEST?
>> THAT IS ONE OF THOSE COMPLEX QUESTIONS OR COMPLEX REALITIES WE DEAL WITH BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH OF IT IS OVERT AND HOW MUCH OF IT IS IMPLICIT BIAS.
BECAUSE OF ALL THE SYSTEMS WE WORK IN, INCLUDING OUR FAMILY SYSTEMS, WE HAVE LEARNED CERTAIN KINDS OF BELIEFS WITHIN ALL OF THOSE SYSTEMS.
THOSE BELIEFS CARRY ON INTO OUR PROFESSIONAL LIVES.
IT IS NOT LIKE ANYBODY IS BAD OR GOOD.
IT IS NOT ABOUT JUDGMENT.
IT IS ABOUT HOW WE USE THOSE BELIEFS AND INFORM HOW WE ENGAGE WITH ONE ANOTHER.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO BECOME AWARE OF SOME OF THOSE BELIEFS, THOSE FOUNDATIONAL BELIEFS THAT RUN THROUGH ALL OF OUR SYSTEMS HAVING AN IMPACT ON OUR BEHAVIOR, BECAUSE THOSE
BELIEFS HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR BEHAVIOR AND THEREFORE HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR ENVIRONMENT.
IS IT OVER, COVERT, IMPLICIT, EXPLICIT?
I THINK IN A LOT OF WAYS, IT DOES NOT MATTER IF THE OUTCOME IS THE SAME, IF THE OUTCOME CONTINUES TO BE DISPARITIES AND DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON ONE GROUP OVER ANOTHER.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON, WHAT IS INFORMING THE BELIEFS, NOT JUST FOR INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE SYSTEM BUT ENTIRE SYSTEMS.
IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO LOOK AT THE UNDERLYING VALUES AND BELIEFS WITHIN THE SYSTEM.
ADAM: ONE AREA THAT GRABS PEOPLES ATTENTION IS MATERNAL MORTALITY.
WE KNOW THAT IS AN ISSUE FOR WOMEN IN POVERTY, BUT IN PARTICULAR PREGNANT WOMEN IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
IS THERE ANYTHING ON THAT FRONT THAT CAN BE DONE?
>> THERE IS A REPORT LOOKING AT MATERNAL MORTALITY FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS AND INFANT MORTALITY WHICH WE KNOW IS A HUGE ISSUE AROUND THE COUNTRY WHERE BLACK BABIES DIE TWICE AS MUCH AS
WHITE BABIES AND THREE TIMES AS MUCH AS ASIAN BABIES.
WE NEED FURTHER EXPLORATION TO KNOW IN NEW HAMPSHIRE HOW THAT IS PLAYING OUT.
WE SOMETIMES DO NOT SEE THE SAME TRENDS AS ELSEWHERE BECAUSE OF THE POPULATION SIZES.
IT REQUIRES SPECIFIC KINDS OF EXPLORATION AND DEEPER DIGGING.
OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE SCIENTIFIC REQUIREMENTS THAT PROHIBIT THE RELEASE OF INFORMATION IF OUR POPULATION SIZE IS TOO SMALL, SO WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH SUPPRESSION SO WE DO NOT REVEAL THE
IDENTITIES OF PEOPLE.
THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE SOMETIMES DO NOT SEE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
IT DOES NOT MEAN THOSE THINGS ARE NOT HAPPENING HERE.
IT MEANS WE HAVE TO DIG DEEPER OR DIFFERENTLY OR IT TAKES TIME TO ACCUMULATE ENOUGH DATA TO SEE THE TRENDS.
HOWEVER, THE KINDS OF THINGS DR.
MORRIS TALKS ABOUT, IMPLICIT BIAS OR STRUCTURAL FACTORS IN THE WAY OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS SET UP OR PRENATAL CARE IS DELIVERED, ACCESS TO PRENATAL CARE AND ACCESS TO QUALITY CARE,
THOSE ARE THINGS WE CAN DEFINITELY EXAMINE.
ADAM: DR. MORRIS, LAST QUESTION.
WE HAVE ABOUT ONE MINUTE LEFT.
THESE ARE MASSIVE PROBLEMS.
WHAT HAPPENED TO GEORGE FLOYD WAS DEVASTATING.
ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC WE CAN ADDRESS THESE ISSUES?
>> I AM SO OPTIMISTIC.
I REALLY BELIEVE WE CAN USE THIS MOMENT TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WE CAN BE PROUD OF, THAT WE CAN LEAVE A LEGACY TO ALL OF OUR CHILDREN THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF COMING
TOGETHER WITHIN COMMUNITY.
AND ESPECIALLY SOMETHING DR.
KING ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT, THE BELOVED COMMUNITY WHERE WE ARE TAKING CARE OF ONE ANOTHER, WHERE ISSUES OF POVERTY AND RACIAL INEQUALITY, WHERE ISSUES OF RACISM, ALL OF THESE ISMS,
THAT THOSE THINGS ARE NO LONGER PRESENT OR ARE HAVING LESS OF AN EFFECT.
I AM VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE.
I AM SO HAPPY TO BE PART OF THIS.
I WAS HONORED TO SERVE WITH OTHERS ON THIS GROUP IN ORDER FOR US TO START TO CREATE SOME TYPE OF ROADMAP FOR US TO HAVE A BRIGHTER FUTURE.
IN SPITE OF ALL THE THINGS HAPPENING GLOBALLY, I’M STILL HOPEFUL BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE A BETT