Local Covid-19 Responses Illuminate Global Health Lessons

While the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in almost every way, including scale, impact, and severity, the learnings and takeaways from this pandemic are relevant to so many of our public health challenges.The pandemic spoke to both the need for an immediate public health response and a long-term approach that prioritizes Black and Brown communities that already experience inequitable gaps in health outcomes. As Los Angeles County and the City of Atlanta undertake the largest vaccine distribution efforts in history, FUSE fellows Tracey Veal and Tiffany Patterson are addressing the immediate health impact upon Black and Brown communities hit hardest by the pandemic. In New Orleans, FUSE Executive Fellow Maria Moore seeks to implement a program that focuses on the root causes of health inequities and invests in the economic social determinants of health to create a long-term approach to addressing disparities. In this panel, Tracey, Tiffany, and Maria will share key lessons from LA County, Atlanta, and New Orleans, all of which have global implications for addressing health disparities.