A health equity task force charged with addressing racial, geographic and other disparities during the coronavirus pandemic is off to a slower start than anticipated, missing its June 30 interim filing deadline.
The COVID-19 data collection bill Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law in early June created a COVID-19 health equity task force to examine racial, ethnic, disability, regional and cultural disparities affecting people’s ability to avoid COVID-19 and obtain testing, treatment and other resources. Their interim filing deadline was set for June 30, weeks away, and the final deadline was set for Aug. 1.
The Senate version of the governor’s $1.1 billion supplemental budget includes provisions to extend the interim and final deadlines for the task force, but the differences between that bill and the House version must be reconciled before it goes to a final vote and, if approved, gets sent to the governor.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how racial, geographic and other disparities can exacerbate outcomes in a global public health crisis. Chelsea, a densely populated, majority Latino city, developed the highest rate of coronavirus infection as Massachusetts saw a surge of COVID-19 cases in April. Public health experts attributed the high incidence rate to the high density housing and number of essential workers in the Eastern Massachusetts community.
Dr. Frank Robinson, a Baystate Health executive who was appointed by the Senate to serve on the task force, shared data from the hospital in a Senate listening session in late June suggesting parts of Springfield with higher-density housing and more essential workers, often in more diverse neighborhoods, were similarly at risk of COVID-19.
When Robinson presented the geographic data, he pointed out the disparities are not the fault of the residents or the neighborhoods but rather the product of generations of systemic racism, leading to disparities in education, income level, health care access and other areas.
“These are communities of divestment, communities that have been subjugated historically for 50 to 60 years. There are clear patterns of racial discrimination,” said Robinson, the vice president of public health and community relations at Baystate Health. “It’s hard to have that conversation just looking at that map, so that’s the caution I like to offer to folks as we step into this mapping discussion.”
Trouble accessing health services without relying on public transportation — if a resident has access to public transit — may pose another barrier when it comes to treating infectious diseases, Robinson added.
Troubles accessing health services through public transportation, at least in some pockets of Springfield and in other communities, may pose another barrier, Robinson said.
Social and economic factors account for 40% of one’s health, according to a report filed last month by the state Department of Public Health’s health equity advisory group. Healthy behaviors account for 30%, health care access accounts for 10% and genes account for 10%.
The report also found that Blacks and Hispanics had COVID-19 case rates that were three times higher than that of whites in Massachusetts, as well as higher hospitalization rates. The disparities widened for older COVID-19 patients.
The data collection provisions in the new law is supposed to generate more details about COVID-19 cases, including demographics that may highlight potential disparities. The 16-member task force born out of the law is supposed to explore why those disparities exist and how to reduce them.
The task force, a group of lawmakers and health experts, is expected to make recommendations to improve safety for populations at higher risk for COVID-19, remove barriers to health care services and treatment, improve quality of services and treatment, increase access to medical supplies and address other disparities.
Senate President Karen Spilka announced on June 23 that Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, a Boston Democrat, and Sen. Julian Cyr, a Truro Democrat, would serve on the task force. She also appointed Dr. Milagros Abreu, founder and executive director of the Latino Health Insurance Program; Dr. Cassandra Pierre, an infectious diseases physician at Boston Medical Center; Michael Curry, deputy CEO and general counsel at the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and Robinson, the Baystate Health official.
“The formation of this task force and its recommendations will help provide a road map for improving health care services across the Commonwealth, particularly in our communities of color who were disproportionally impacted by the coronavirus,” Spilka said at the time.
Spilka’s office said in a news release at the time the task force would convene once the appointments were made.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo has not announced his appointments. A source said on June 23 he was appointing Rep. Jose Tosado, a Springfield Democrat, and Rep. Chynah Tayler, a Boston Democrat, to serve on the task force. Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, a Springfield Democrat and chair of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus planned to serve as the caucus’ designee.
DeLeo’s office has since told MassLive of four more appointees: Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, who leads the DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement and Catalyst Institute; Jeffrey Sanchez, a senior advisor at Rasky Partners and lecturer at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Dr. Kiame Mahaniah, CEO of Lynn Community Health Services; and Dr. Assaad Sayah, CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance.
The Senate version of the $1.1 billion supplemental budget passed Thursday, which covers costs related to COVID-19, includes a provision extending the June 30 deadline and the final Aug. 1 final reporting deadlines for the 16-member task force. The differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill must be reconciled in conference committee before it can move forward.
The timeline for what comes next is unclear. The Legislature is approaching the end of its two-year legislative session, which typically ends on July 31.
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