Racial disparities in health care due to factors such as unequal access to health insurance, income inequality, and bias in the health care system have long been known.

These inequities have been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemics disproportionate impact on communities of color that frequently face high-risk working and living conditions.

As New Jersey proceeds with reopening plans, there are opportunities to incorporate measures to improve health outcomes for minority groups and to address social determinants of health more broadly. Equity actions being examined include:

On July 29, NJ Spotlight and NJTV News convened a virtual roundtable with health care leaders, public officials, and administrators to explore how progress can be made toward alleviating racial inequities in health outcomes as New Jersey recovers from the pandemic.

Keynote address:

Michellene Davis, Esq., Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, RWJBarnabas Health

Panelists:

David A. Ansell,MD, MPH, Senior Vice President for Community Health Equity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago; Associate Provost for Community Affairs, Rush University, Chicago

Assemblyman Herb Conaway Jr., MD, Chair, Health Committee; Member, Appropriations and Science, Innovation and Technology Committees, New Jersey State General Assembly; Director, Burlington County Health Department

Shereef M. Elnahal,MD, MBA, President & Chief Executive Officer, University Hospital

Denise V. Rodgers, MD, FAAFP, Vice Chancellor for Interprofessional Programs, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences; RBHS Chair in Interprofessional Education, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Moderator:

Lilo H. Stainton, Health Care Reporter, NJ Spotlight

Sponsors:

Link:

Race and Health Care in New Jersey: Addressing Inequities in the COVID-19 Era - NJ Spotlight