Tackling racism as a public health crisis
Catch up quick: Local and state officials made 2020 declarations condemning racism as a public health crisis.
Data has long illustrated the health disparities between white and Black communities, including life expectancy. The problem gained renewed focus when the COVID-19 pandemic and protests happened simultaneously.
Zoom in: Franklin County Public Health hired an associate director of equity and inclusion that year, and Columbus Public Health shifted resources to create a Center for Public Health Innovation.
Both are training staff and working to address underlying, systemic issues that can worsen health.
Franklin County created an equity advisory council of over 50 organizations that continues meeting monthly to support its efforts.
What they're saying: Columbus' health commissioner, Mysheika Roberts, offered three examples of how the city's center has made a difference.
💉 Vaccine access: Giving recipients $100 gift cards and adding more clinic sites in 2021 through a "Vax Cash" program closed a 7% gap in COVID-19 vaccination rates between Franklin County's white and Black residents.
🚭 Flavored tobacco ban: This 2022 ordinance enforced by the health department has reduced Columbus' number of tobacco retailers, which have historically targeted Black communities.
The city's smoking rate (13%) has also dropped below the state average (15%).
🚓 Office of Violence Prevention: This city initiative launched in 2023 was a recommendation of the Center for Public Health Innovation. Gun violence disproportionately impacts Black neighborhoods.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
FDA vaccine chief leaving agency after less than 3 months
Prasad joined the FDA in May after years as an academic researcher at the University of California San Francisco, where he frequently criticized the FDA's approach to drug approvals and COVID-19 vaccines. Advertisement His contrarian approach appeared to match FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who repeatedly praised Prasad's work and intellect. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up But in recent weeks Prasad became a target of conservative activists, including Laura Loomer, who flagged Prasad's past statements criticizing Trump and praising liberal independent Senator Bernie Sanders. 'How did this Trump-hating Bernie Bro get into the Trump admin???' Loomer posted on X last week. Prasad also attracted scrutiny for his handling of a recent safety issue surrounding the only approved gene therapy for Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. Under his direction, shipments of the therapy were briefly halted after a series of patient deaths, then resumed late Monday following vocal pushback from families of boys with the fatal muscle-wasting disorder. Prasad has long been skeptical of the therapy and other muscular dystrophy drugs sold by the drugmaker, Sarepta Therapeutics. As an academic, Prasad gained prominence by attacking the FDA for being too lenient in its standards for approving cancer drugs and other new therapies. Advertisement That approach is at odds with Trump's Republican supporters, who generally favor speedier approvals and unfettered access to experimental treatments. During Trump's first term he signed the " Right to Try " law, a largely symbolic piece of legislation that won popular support from conservatives seeking to give dying patients expanded access to unproven drugs. Prasad's decision to pause Sarepta's therapy was criticized last week by a columnist and the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal. Separately, Prasad's division issued rejection letters this month to three small biotech firms seeking approval for new gene therapies. Prasad's predecessor in the role, Dr. Peter Marks, oversaw a steep rise in approvals for new gene therapies, which aim to treat or prevent disease by replacing or modifying a portion of patients' genetic code. Prasad has been an outspoken critic of Marks' leadership at FDA. which included overseeing the approval of the first COVID vaccines and therapies.
an hour ago
FDA vaccine chief leaving agency after less than 3 months
WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration's polarizing vaccine chief is leaving the agency after a brief tenure that drew the ire of biotech companies, patient groups and conservative allies of President Donald Trump. Dr. Vinay Prasad 'did not want to be a distraction' and was stepping down from his role as the FDA's top vaccine regulator 'to spend more time with his family,' a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement late Tuesday. Two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Prasad was ousted following several recent controversies. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal personnel matters. Prasad joined the FDA in May after years as an academic researcher at the University of California San Francisco, where he frequently criticized the FDA's approach to drug approvals and COVID-19 vaccines. His contrarian approach appeared to match FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who repeatedly praised Prasad's work and intellect. But in recent weeks Prasad became a target of conservative activists, including Laura Loomer, who flagged Prasad's past statements criticizing Trump and praising liberal independent Senator Bernie Sanders. 'How did this Trump-hating Bernie Bro get into the Trump admin???' Loomer posted on X last week. Prasad also attracted scrutiny for his handling of a recent safety issue surrounding the only approved gene therapy for Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. Under his direction, shipments of the therapy were briefly halted after a series of patient deaths, then resumed late Monday following vocal pushback from families of boys with the fatal muscle-wasting disorder. Prasad has long been skeptical of the therapy and other muscular dystrophy drugs sold by the drugmaker, Sarepta Therapeutics. As an academic, Prasad gained prominence by attacking the FDA for being too lenient in its standards for approving cancer drugs and other new therapies. That approach is at odds with Trump's Republican supporters, who generally favor speedier approvals and unfettered access to experimental treatments. During Trump's first term he signed the ' Right to Try ' law, a largely symbolic piece of legislation that won popular support from conservatives seeking to give dying patients expanded access to unproven drugs. Prasad's decision to pause Sarepta's therapy was criticized last week by a columnist and the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal. Separately, Prasad's division issued rejection letters this month to three small biotech firms seeking approval for new gene therapies. Prasad's predecessor in the role, Dr. Peter Marks, oversaw a steep rise in approvals for new gene therapies, which aim to treat or prevent disease by replacing or modifying a portion of patients' genetic code. Prasad has been an outspoken critic of Marks' leadership at FDA. which included overseeing the approval of the first COVID vaccines and therapies.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
FDA vaccine chief leaving agency after less than 3 months
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration's polarizing vaccine chief is leaving the agency after a brief tenure that drew the ire of biotech companies, patient groups and conservative allies of President Donald Trump. Dr. Vinay Prasad 'did not want to be a distraction' and was stepping down from his role as the FDA's top vaccine regulator 'to spend more time with his family,' a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement late Tuesday. Two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Prasad was ousted following several recent controversies. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal personnel matters. Prasad joined the FDA in May after years as an academic researcher at the University of California San Francisco, where he frequently criticized the FDA's approach to drug approvals and COVID-19 vaccines. His contrarian approach appeared to match FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who repeatedly praised Prasad's work and intellect. But in recent weeks Prasad became a target of conservative activists, including Laura Loomer , who flagged Prasad's past statements criticizing Trump and praising liberal independent Senator Bernie Sanders. 'How did this Trump-hating Bernie Bro get into the Trump admin???' Loomer posted on X last week. Prasad also attracted scrutiny for his handling of a recent safety issue surrounding the only approved gene therapy for Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. Under his direction, shipments of the therapy were briefly halted after a series of patient deaths, then resumed late Monday following vocal pushback from families of boys with the fatal muscle-wasting disorder. Prasad has long been skeptical of the therapy and other muscular dystrophy drugs sold by the drugmaker, Sarepta Therapeutics. As an academic, Prasad gained prominence by attacking the FDA for being too lenient in its standards for approving cancer drugs and other new therapies. That approach is at odds with Trump's Republican supporters, who generally favor speedier approvals and unfettered access to experimental treatments. During Trump's first term he signed the ' Right to Try ' law, a largely symbolic piece of legislation that won popular support from conservatives seeking to give dying patients expanded access to unproven drugs. Prasad's decision to pause Sarepta's therapy was criticized last week by a columnist and the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal. Separately, Prasad's division issued rejection letters this month to three small biotech firms seeking approval for new gene therapies. Prasad's predecessor in the role, Dr. Peter Marks , oversaw a steep rise in approvals for new gene therapies, which aim to treat or prevent disease by replacing or modifying a portion of patients' genetic code. Prasad has been an outspoken critic of Marks' leadership at FDA. which included overseeing the approval of the first COVID vaccines and therapies. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
