Abstract: Transformation Talks, Leveraging the Community and Innovation to Improve Health

The spread of COVID-19 revealed systemic cracks in the social needs and public health infrastructure of communities — inequities that have existed for decades.

A Kaiser Permanente survey of 2,900 of its members earlier this year illustrates the disproportionate impact the pandemic is having on the poor and people of color.

• 47% said that the pandemic has negatively affected their mental or emotional health.
• 19% felt that their jobs were at risk.
• The number of patients who expressed a desire for assistance with procuring food was 3.8 times higher among blacks and 4.6 times higher among Hispanics than white respondents.

Factors like these among low-income and communities of color have placed them at increased risk for chronic health conditions, decreased access to medical care and consistently poorer outcomes, notes Bechara Choucair, M.D. senior vice president and chief health officer at Kaiser Permanente.

Learn more about AHA Transformation Talks, Strategies for Reimagining Health Care.