Racism is a Public Health Crisis, More Connecticut Communities Declare
/In just the past week, municipal governing bodies in New Haven, Middletown, Manchester, and Windham considered and approved resolutions declaring racism as a public health crisis. They joined Windsor, Hartford, Bloomfield, New Britain, and West Hartford in taking this step, joining cities across the nation taking similar action.
Other communities in Connecticut are poised to follow, and State Senator Saud Anwar has been urging Governor Lamont to do the same statewide. In the coming days, Colchester (Thursday), Hamden (next Monday) and New London (next Monday) are among those expected to be voting on similar resolutions.
Hamden Mayor Curt Leng, anticipating a vote next week, said “Recognizing and making the statement that declares racism as a public health crisis is the right thing to do and a step toward a more equitable community and society. In the time of COVID-19, when impact on people of color is statistically higher, we have a real-time health emergency where we can put our value statement to the test and work to help people.”
Advocates say that a local resolution demonstrates a commitment to advancing racial equity, including in health. It can catalyze and authorize data analysis, policy analysis, they point out, to prevent unintentional injustices, and implementation of policies and actions to dismantle and course-correct problematic systems.
“I know a public health crisis when I see it,” nurse and healthcare administrator Lakisha Hyatt told the Windsor Town Council last month, according to published reports. “As defined as a complex, urgent emergent health situation that affects the lives of other individuals, and I am sharing with you that indeed, racism infects the lives and livelihood of individuals here in Windsor.”
Tekisha Dwan Everette, Executive Director of Health Equity Solutions, which is urging the local resolutions, has noted: “Acknowledging a problem is the first step in addressing it. Publicly acknowledging that racism—through structural disadvantages and the “weathering” of daily experiences—is a public health crisis that results in far too much preventable suffering and death, is a starting point for action. This movement demonstrates the willingness of local officials to commit to intentionally addressing racism through policy.”
Health Equity Solutions is a nonprofit organization with a statewide focus on promoting policies, programs, and practices that result in equitable health care access, delivery, and outcomes for all people in Connecticut. Everette is an assistant clinical professor in social and behavioral sciences at the Yale School of Public Health.
Cato Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., who has served as Dean of the Medical School and Vice President for Health Affairs at the University of Connecticut, recently told WTNH News, for example, that “there are many health consequences” of racial profiling in Connecticut. From micro aggressions to larger issues such as racial profiling by police, there are “profound medical effects” on the Black community, Laurencin said, noting that although some progress has been made, “we have a long road to go to address these issues.”
Dr. Laurencin, who received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, America’s highest honor for technological achievement, from President Barack Obama in ceremonies at the White House, has also served on Connecticut’s Task Force examining racial profiling in Connecticut, its implications, and remedies.
In New Haven, the resolution approved by the Board of Alders, commits the city to “Continue to advocate locally for relevant policies that improve health in communities of color, and support local, state, regional, and federal initiatives that advance efforts to dismantle systemic racism.” It also says the city will “Promote equity through all policies approved by the Board of Alders and enhance educational efforts aimed at understanding, addressing and dismantling racism and how it affects the delivery of human and social services, economic development and public safety.”
In Manchester, where a racial incident last month targeted young teens, Councilor Pamela Floyd-Cranford, said: “Manchester is the epitome that racism exists. With the acknowledgment that racism is a public health crisis, I’m hopeful that it will make health care more affordable for people of color. Also, oftentimes we don’t get the same level of care. Health care providers are relatively dismissive of complaints of pain and illness by people of color, especially if they don’t have the money to pay for services. This leads to worse health and death. I’m hoping the resolutions in Manchester and throughout the state will address this.”
The issue is not new, but has accelerated in the public sphere in the wake of recent high profile deaths of Blacks by law enforcement and increased awareness of systemic racial prejudice. The American Academy of Pediatrics said last year that “Racism is a social determinant of health that has a profound impact on the health status of children, adolescents, emerging adults, and their families.” The statement goes on to indicate that “the evidence to support the continued negative impact of racism on health and well-being through implicit and explicit biases, institutional structures, and interpersonal relationships is clear.”
The state legislature is expected to go into special session later this month to enact a series of racial justice reforms, centered around law enforcement polices and procedures. At this time, a formal resolution declaring racism as a public health issue is not anticipated. Anwar, a pulmonologist for Eastern Connecticut Health Network, former South Windsor Mayor, and current State Senator, urged in mid-June, that Connecticut declare racism as a public health emergency.
His proposal drew supportive comments from Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk, who told CT by the Numbers: "Systemic racism permeates every facet of our society and for far too long, we have failed to properly address this fact. Declaring racism as a public health emergency would allow us to thoroughly look at how racial bias and discrimination impacts individuals and systems such as housing, criminal justice, education, and healthcare,” Duff said. “We cannot afford to ignore these realities any longer; racism must be viewed through this comprehensive lens if we are to make any meaningful, genuine progress toward true equality and justice in our society.”
The urgency of the actions that such resolutions signal has been underscored in numerous Connecticut communities.
Bloomfield Mayor Suzette DeBeatham-Brown has said that the town has forged a partnership with the regional health district to help achieve the steps outlined in its resolution. “We have to find out what are the issues in our town, what are the underlying conditions in our town that we need to address and what’s going to be the best way to address those conditions,” she told WNPR last week.
“Racism has and continues to hurt people psychophysiologically and impede their ability to live a healthy, prosperous life. While Milford declaring racism as a public health crisis will not single-handedly dismantle racist institutions and support community healing on its own, it is a first step in the overall process,” explained Milford resident Lillian A. Holmes. “Viewing racism in this way will afford Milford’s city and health officials, and other stakeholders, a clear way to analyze data and discuss how to dismantle or change problematic systems in a way that will elicit meaningful change for our entire community.”
Alycia Santilli, Director of the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) and New Haven resident, notes: “Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we bring this message to the wider community – as together we witness the greater impact of COVID-19 in Black and Brown communities; as together we witness the murder of Black men and women at the hands of police. These threats to communities of color result in the worst health outcome of all – death – and demonstrate the profound impacts of structural racism.”
Revered Robyn Anderson who leads the Middletown-based Ministerial Health Fellowship and participates in the town’s People of Color Health Initiative, adds: “It is my hope and prayer that we will declare racism as a public health issue as we work together to achieve health equity and justice for all.”
