University of California San Francisco Black Health Initiative (UCSF BHI) COVID-19 Response

Background: COVID-19-related disparities in the United States reflect race and income inequalities that promote other known health disparities among Blacks. Despite the high number of COVID-19 cases in this population, there is little research and a lack of community engagement strategies on effective COVID-19 education, prevention, testing, tracing, quarantine, and treatment. Partnerships need to be built to overcome historic distrust and under-investment. The Black Health Initiative (BHI) will urgently address COVID-19 and develop stakeholder partnerships and engaged research focused on the Black population in San Francisco. Objectives Include: Convening patient, community, public health, and UCSF stakeholders Using culturally tailored, patient-centered community engagement and planning to inform research and response to COVID-19 and other disparities in the Black community Communicating COVID-19 science and medicine in a two-way dissemination process with the Black community Facilitating COVID-19 and comorbid research in the Black community Outcomes: Include regular board and community meetings, surveys and focus groups, virtual gatherings for restorative engagement, joint webinars, virtual town halls, local media coverage, COVID-19 research dissemination, research review.