Racism declared public health crisis in about 70 US cities over unequal medications

Racism has been declared a public health crisis in about 70 cities across the United States since last year after lawmakers acknowledged that Black people do receive unequal treatment at workplaces, public offices, hospitals, etc. According to the Associated Press, there has been a huge disparity between the treatment of White and Black people during the COVID-19 pandemic, with people of colour reporting lack of sincerity by medical professionals and substandard care. 

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A 29-year-old Black woman from New York shared one such instance, where she faced racism and unequal treatment at a hospital. The woman named Christy DeGallerie sought a COVID-19 test at a hospital, however, a nurse denied her one saying that she doesn't have a fever. When she appealed to a doctor of colour about the same, he asked the nurse to check again and it turned out that her temperature was 101 degrees. This is only one incident among the thousands that Black people deal with every day in their life. 

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What prompted the action?

The demand for equal treatment in the United States found a renewed voice when an African-American man named George Floyd was killed by a Caucasian police officer this May and protests across the country erupted demanding racial justice. Many local governments took the issue as a priority and moved to bring reforms in order to serve the disadvantaged communities. Several cities and counties have since moved to either sign a declaration or consider one, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nevada, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas City, etc.

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Steps taken to correct inequalities

Wisconsin's Milwaukee County was the first one to have acted on the issue back in May 2019 after health disparities between Black and White residents broadened. The poverty rate was higher in the area where mostly Black people lived, so the Council developed a plan to distribute the budget proportionately. Kansas City also developed a similar program according to which they spent more money from the COVID-19 relief package in areas with more Black residents. 

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(With inputs from AP, Image credit: AP)