COVID-19 heightens the need to end health disparities

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting us all, but it is disproportionately harming the nation’s marginalized populations, including African-Americans, people with disabilities, poor people, older people and other groups who are vulnerable to bias.

At particular risk are people with intersecting identities—for example, people with disabilities who have low incomes, LGBTQ people of color and children of immigrant families.

Unless we work to mitigate these disparities, it will be more difficult to contain the pandemic. As psychological research shows, communities that work together to address the needs of all members can flatten the curve faster than communities fraught with division and distrust.

To curb the spread of the coronavirus and help our communities heal from its toll, we must leave none of our neighbors behind. That means our policies and solutions for addressing the pandemic must consider the needs of all people and include strategies to mitigate the impact of discrimination.

Psychology offers four ways to help:

1. Expand economic and social supports

The CARES Act is helping low- and middle-income households through several programs, including nutrition assistance, expanded unemployment insurance benefits and one-time payments to households that earn under a certain level. These provisions will help mitigate or prevent the psychological impacts of the financial strain brought on by the pandemic. But going forward, further measures will likely be needed to prevent households from falling into poverty and not having enough money for food or housing. Future legislation must address vulnerable populations such as immigrants and those in the deepest poverty. Extending economic and social supports will help reduce the risk for these populations and, by extension, the broader community.

2. Build trust and social cohesion

Psychologists’ research has shown that communities with a high level of trust and engagement around common challenges tend to have better overall health and resiliency after disasters. Psychologists can help build social cohesion by supporting community dialogues that bring people together to improve their ability to identify the systems, policies and other factors that can create lasting change.

3. Denounce hate

News reports document numerous instances of racist and xenophobic bullying and intimidation of people of Asian descent because the virus originated in China. All leaders—whether elected officials, faith leaders, business leaders or civic leaders — should use inclusive language when discussing the pandemic, stressing that our fates are intertwined. Denouncing intolerance moves the voices of perpetrators to the margins.

4. Collect more and better data

We know that some populations, such as African Americans, are at higher risk for contracting the coronavirus because some local health agencies track data by race, ethnicity and other factors. But these factors are not being reported nationally. This information is critical for identifying where resources are needed most. The federal government is best positioned to collect and report out this data and to help local authorities do the same.

If we succeed in these efforts, we’ll see an improved national, state and local response to the pandemic. We’ll see the COVID-19 spread contained, and the curve flattened. And, for the long term, we should also see broad reductions in structural, institutional and interpersonal barriers to health equity, and an improved societal commitment to invest in a more just, equitable and healthy society.