Race and COVID 19: Outcomes that Matter to the Black Community

Background: COVID-19 has brought to light the longstanding systemic and structural racism that drives poor health outcomes in Black communities nationwide. There is mounting evidence of profound racial disparities in COVID-19 cases and outcomes where 1 in 1,450 Black Americans compared to 1 in 3,350 white Americans are dying from COVID-19. When adjusted for age, Blacks are 3.8 times more likely to die from COVID -19 than their white counterparts. As noted by the APM Research Lab, if Black Americans died at the same rates as white Americans, 16,000 Black Americans would still be alive today. There is compelling evidence that Black Americans receive lower-quality health care, experience racial bias in clinical encounters, and more frequently report poor communication with providers. Solution: Given the very nature of a pandemic such as COVID-19, racial inequities are magnified, become front and center, and present an opportunity to develop innovative solutions that stem from intentional engagement of Black stakeholders. Understanding the social contextual factors that contribute to disparities for the population and strategies to address them within the population and community will yield meaningful, sustainable, and culturally relevant future interventions. Objectives: The overall goal of this engagement award is to identify research questions, shaped by beliefs, values, and preferences, that address patient-centered outcomes that are most important to Black Americans. Outcomes and Impact: While the work will focus on COVID-19, the products will be broadly generalizable in addressing health inequities beyond the pandemic. The outcomes of this process will lead to PCOR priorities developed by the Black community, guidelines for information dissemination through trusted and reliable community outlets, and community-academic partnerships trained and prepared to engage in PCOR research based on the priorities derived from the Black community.