Local Government Approaches to Combating COVID-19 Inequities: A Durham County Department of Public Health Perspective

Kristen Burwell-Naney, Marissa Mortiboy, John-Paul Zitta, Elizabeth Stevens, Kristen Patterson, James Christopher Salter, Michele Easterling, Lindsey Bickers Bock, Hattie Wood, Malkia Rayner and Rodney Jenkins
Additional contact information
Kristen Burwell-Naney: Durham County Department of Public Health, Population Health Division, 414 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Marissa Mortiboy: Durham County Department of Public Health, Population Health Division, 414 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA
John-Paul Zitta: Durham County Emergency Medical Services, Office of Emergency Services, 201 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Elizabeth Stevens: Durham County Department of Public Health, Public Health Clinical Services, 414 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Kristen Patterson: Durham County Department of Public Health, Public Health Services, 414 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA
James Christopher Salter: Durham County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Services, 414 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Michele Easterling: Durham County Department of Public Health, Nutrition Services, 414 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Lindsey Bickers Bock: Durham County Department of Public Health, Health Education Services, 414 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Hattie Wood: Durham County Department of Public Health, Nursing and Clinical Services, 414 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Malkia Rayner: Durham County Department of Public Health, Communicable Disease Programs, 414 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Rodney Jenkins: Durham County Department of Public Health, Public Health Services, 414 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: When a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) made major headlines in 2020, it further exposed an existing public health crisis related to inequities within our communities and health care delivery system. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, populations of color had higher infection and mortality rates, and even experienced greater disease severity compared to whites. Populations of color often bear the brunt of COVID-19 and other health inequities, due to the multifaceted relationship between systemic racism and the social determinants of health. As this relationship continues to perpetuate health inequities, the local health department is an agency that has the jurisdiction and responsibility to prevent disease and protect the health of the communities they serve. When equity is integrated into a health department’s operational infrastructure as a disease prevention strategy, it can elevate the agency’s response to public health emergencies. Collecting, reporting, and tracking demographic data that is necessary to identify inequities becomes a priority to facilitate a more robust public health response. The purpose of this paper is to present strategies of how a local health department operationalized equity in various stages of COVID-19 response and apply these methods to future public health emergencies to better serve vulnerable communities.

Keywords: COVID-19; health inequities; Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH); populations of color, vulnerable communities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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