The City’s health reform agenda focuses on reaching and increasing protections for communities of color, who experience the worst health outcomes in Philadelphia.
After recognizing significant disparities in COVID-19 case rates, hospitalizations, and deaths among Black and Latinx city residents, the Department of Public Health developed an Interim Racial Equity Response Plan that addresses eight key areas of concern:
In collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Public Health tapped key City and community stakeholders to provide input on and help shape the plan. The first meeting of the stakeholder group took place the week of June 15, 2020.
The Steering Committee will consult with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health on the development of its Racial Equity Response Plan to ensure more equitable responses in programs and services to historically disadvantaged communities.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is expanding COVID-19 testing sites to address the virus impact disparities in Black and Latino communities. Through an RFP process, we’re collaborating with Federally Qualified Health Centers, the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, and other community partners. We have more than 50 test sites across the city with a goal of expanding to 75 sites. Of the residents who have been tested and for whom we have information on race and ethnicity, 53 percent were African American, 30 percent were white, and 5 percent were Latino.