Senate Aging Committee examines COVID-19 and racial health disparities

Jul 22, 2020 - 03:33 PM
senate-hearing-rountable

The Senate Special Committee on Aging yesterday held a hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic and seniors, which focused on racial health disparities.

Former AHA Board Chair Gene Woods, president and CEO of Atrium Health in Charlotte, N.C., testified about Atrium’s initiatives to address the needs of minority and underserved communities, including the use of geospatial hotspotting to identify zip codes most impacted by COVID-19 and direct needed resources to those areas. 

Woods also noted the benefits of telehealth in reaching underserved communities and advocated for extending its expanded use beyond the pandemic.

Also testifying at the hearing were Dominic Mack, M.D., director of the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta; Mercedes Carnethon, vice chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago; and Rodney Jones Sr., CEO of East Liberty Health Center in Pittsburgh.

Related News Articles

Headline
AHA podcast discusses how telehealth has transformed care for patients at Nantucket Cottage Hospital 
In this conversation, Amy Lee, president and chief operating officer at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, shares how telehealth is transforming patient care on the…
Headline
Executive order calls for creation of NIH Women’s Health Division 
An executive order issued by the White House Oct. 19 directs the Department of Health and Human Services, through the National Institutes of Health, to…
Headline
CDC issues reminder on ending of the emergency authorization for COVID-19 in vitro diagnostics tests
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a reminder Oct. 14 that the declaration supporting the emergency use of COVID-19 in vitro diagnostics…
Headline
Next listening session in AHA’s disability health series to focus on community partnerships
The second listening session in the AHA’s series on disability health will focus on community partnerships and is scheduled for Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. ET. These…
Headline
AHA podcast explores the cost of health disparities and how to respond
In this conversation, Brian Peters, CEO of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, explores the connection between health disparities, healthcare costs…
Headline
Webinar explores how hospitals can use data-informed strategies to improve health outcomes and reduce costs
The AHA will host a webinar on Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. ET exploring the AHA’s Economic Impact of Disparities in Health Outcomes Resource Guide which helps hospital…