scholarly journals Racial Capitalism Within Public Health—How Occupational Settings Drive COVID-19 Disparities

2020 ◽  
Vol 189 (11) ◽  
pp. 1244-1253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth S McClure ◽  
Pavithra Vasudevan ◽  
Zinzi Bailey ◽  
Snehal Patel ◽  
Whitney R Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Lung Function ◽  
The United States ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Structural Determinants ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Racial Capitalism ◽  
Viral Spread

Abstract Epidemiology of the US coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak focuses on individuals’ biology and behaviors, despite centrality of occupational environments in the viral spread. This demonstrates collusion between epidemiology and racial capitalism because it obscures structural influences, absolving industries of responsibility for worker safety. In an empirical example, we analyzed economic implications of race-based metrics widely used in occupational epidemiology. In the United States, White adults have better average lung function and worse hearing than Black adults. Impaired lung function and impaired hearing are both criteria for workers’ compensation claims, which are ultimately paid by industry. Compensation for respiratory injury is determined using a race-specific algorithm. For hearing, there is no race adjustment. Selective use of race-specific algorithms for workers’ compensation reduces industries’ liability for worker health, illustrating racial capitalism operating within public health. Widespread and unexamined belief in inherent physiological inferiority of Black Americans perpetuates systems that limit industry payouts for workplace injuries. We see a parallel in the epidemiology of COVID-19 disparities. We tell stories of industries implicated in the outbreak and review how they exemplify racial capitalism. We call on public health professionals to critically evaluate who is served and neglected by data analysis and to center structural determinants of health in etiological evaluation.

scholarly journals Naming racism in the public health classroom

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243560
Author(s):  
Nadia N. Abuelezam ◽  
Andrés Castro Samayoa ◽  
Alana Dinelli ◽  
Brenna Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Black Mothers ◽  
Structural Determinants ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health Teaching

Objective The discussion of racism within undergraduate public health classrooms can be highly influenced by local and national conversations about race. We explored the impact of local and national events on students’ ability to name racism on a public health exam highlighting the impact of racism on maternal and infant health disparities for Black mothers. Methods We undertook this research within the context of an undergraduate introductory public health course at a primarily white institution in the Northeastern part of the United States. A qualitative content analysis of undergraduate student responses to a final exam question soliciting the importance of racism to health outcomes among Black mothers in the United States was undertaken. ANOVA tests were run to assess differences on naming racism, using semantic alternatives, and providing alternative explanations during three main time periods: prior to the election of the 45th president of the United States (pre-Trump), after the election (post-Trump), and after a nationally recognized racist campus incident. Results Between the pre- and post-Trump periods we see no differences in naming racism or providing alternative explanations. We do see a reduction in the proportion of students providing semantic alternatives for racism in the post-Trump period (32.2 vs. 25.2%, p = 0.034). After the racist campus incident, we see increases in the proportion of students naming race (53.6 vs. 73.8%, p = 0.021) and decreases in the proportion providing an alternative explanation (43.1 vs. 12.9%, p = 0.004), but no differences in the proportion of students who used semantic alternatives. Discussion This work lends itself to our understanding of how local climate affects public health teaching and may also influence students’ learning about important social and structural determinants of health. National and local climate should frame and guide public health teaching.

scholarly journals Revealing fine-scale spatiotemporal differences in SARS-CoV-2 introduction and spread

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gage K. Moreno ◽  
Katarina M. Braun ◽  
Kasen K. Riemersma ◽  
Michael A. Martin ◽  
Peter J. Halfmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Full Genome ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Viral Spread ◽  
Milwaukee County ◽  
Local Patterns

Abstract Evidence-based public health approaches that minimize the introduction and spread of new SARS-CoV-2 transmission clusters are urgently needed in the United States and other countries struggling with expanding epidemics. Here we analyze 247 full-genome SARS-CoV-2 sequences from two nearby communities in Wisconsin, USA, and find surprisingly distinct patterns of viral spread. Dane County had the 12th known introduction of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States, but this did not lead to descendant community spread. Instead, the Dane County outbreak was seeded by multiple later introductions, followed by limited community spread. In contrast, relatively few introductions in Milwaukee County led to extensive community spread. We present evidence for reduced viral spread in both counties following the statewide “Safer at Home” order, which went into effect 25 March 2020. Our results suggest patterns of SARS-CoV-2 transmission may vary substantially even in nearby communities. Understanding these local patterns will enable better targeting of public health interventions.

scholarly journals Distinct patterns of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in two nearby communities in Wisconsin, USA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gage Kahl Moreno ◽  
Katarina M Braun ◽  
Kasen K Riemersma ◽  
Michael A Martin ◽  
Peter J Halfmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Viral Transmission ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Full Genome ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Viral Spread ◽  
Milwaukee County ◽  
At Home

Evidence-based public health approaches that minimize the introduction and spread of new SARS-CoV-2 transmission clusters are urgently needed in the United States and other countries struggling with expanding epidemics. Here we analyze 247 full-genome SARS-CoV-2 sequences from two nearby communities in Wisconsin, USA, and find surprisingly distinct patterns of viral spread. Dane County had the 12th known introduction of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States, but this did not lead to descendant community spread. Instead, the Dane County outbreak was seeded by multiple later introductions, followed by limited community spread. In contrast, relatively few introductions in Milwaukee County led to extensive community spread. We present evidence for reduced viral spread in both counties, and limited viral transmission between counties, following the statewide Safer-at-Home public health order, which went into effect 25 March 2020. Our results suggest that early containment efforts suppressed the spread of SARS-CoV-2 within Wisconsin.

scholarly journals COVID-19 in Low-Middle Income Setting Of Central America Four Region: Limitations on Prevention, Diagnosis, Management and Economic Implications

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 01-02
Author(s):  
Eleazar Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Central America ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
World Health ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

The outbreak of novel coronavirus 2019 has spread rapidly; starting in Wuhan China, reporting a cluster of cases of Pneumonia associated with 2019-nCoV on December 31, 2019. Now with confirmed cases around the world, approximately 128 of 195 countries in total. By the end of January 2020, the World Health Organization declared the current COVID-19 epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHIC) along with the first confirmed case in the United States.

State-by-State Use of AMA Guides

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 3-7, 16
Keyword(s):  
Expert Testimony ◽  
Narrow Range ◽  
The United States ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Federal Employees ◽  
Permanent Disability ◽  
Sixth Edition ◽  
History Of ◽  
Canadian Provinces

Abstract This article presents a history of the origins and development of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), from the publication of an article titled “A Guide to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment of the Extremities and Back” (1958) until a compendium of thirteen guides was published in book form in 1971. The most recent, sixth edition, appeared in 2008. Over time, the AMA Guides has been widely used by US states for workers’ compensation and also by the Federal Employees Compensation Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, as well as by Canadian provinces and other jurisdictions around the world. In the United States, almost twenty states have developed some form of their own impairment rating system, but some have a narrow range and scope and advise evaluators to consult the AMA Guides for a final determination of permanent disability. An evaluator's impairment evaluation report should clearly document the rater's review of prior medical and treatment records, clinical evaluation, analysis of the findings, and a discussion of how the final impairment rating was calculated. The resulting report is the rating physician's expert testimony to help adjudicate the claim. A table shows the edition of the AMA Guides used in each state and the enabling statute/code, with comments.

Structural Determinants of Homelessness in the United States

1991 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Elliott ◽  
Lauren J. Krivo
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structural Determinants

The Rise of Anchor Institutions and the Threat to Community Health: Protecting Community Wealth, Building Community Power

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence T. Brown ◽  
Ashley Bachelder ◽  
Marisela B. Gomez ◽  
Alicia Sherrell ◽  
Imani Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Anchor Institutions ◽  
Health Related Research ◽  
Research Parks ◽  
Wealth Building

Academic institutions are increasingly playing pivotal roles in economic development and community redevelopment in cities around the United States. Many are functioning in the role of anchor institutions and building technology, biotechnology, or research parks to facilitate biomedical research. In the process, universities often partner with local governments, implementing policies that displace entire communities and families, thereby inducing a type of trauma that researcher Mindy Thompson Fullilove has termed “root shock.” We argue that displacement is a threat to public health and explore the ethical implications of university-led displacement on public health research, especially the inclusion of vulnerable populations into health-related research. We further explicate how the legal system has sanctioned the exercise of eminent domain by private entities such as universities and developers.Strategies that communities have employed in order to counter such threats are highlighted and recommended for communities that may be under the threat of university-led displacement. We also offer a critical look at the three dominant assumptions underlying university-sponsored development: that research parks are engines of economic development, that deconcentrating poverty via displacement is effective, and that poverty is simply the lack of economic or financial means. Understanding these fallacies will help communities under the threat of university-sponsored displacement to protect community wealth, build power, and improve health.

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