LOUISVILLE, Ky., November 2, 2020 – African-Americans and other persons of color in Kentucky and across the country have experienced significant and disproportionate incidence and deaths related to the novel coronavirus. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), COVID-19 hospitalization rates among non-Hispanic African-Americans and Hispanic or Latino people are both about 4.7 times the rate of non-Hispanic white people.
The Kentucky Medical Association (KMA), the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and the University of Kentucky College of Public Health are partnering to host a webinar exploring what’s behind these inequities and possible policy solutions. Shifting the Lens: COVID-19 Policy Lessons for Reducing Kentucky’s Health Inequities will be held Thursday, Nov. 19 from 1:30-3 p.m. ET. Presenters will share lessons that policymakers, opinion leaders and health advocates can learn from Kentucky’s response to the pandemic, and will speak to practices and policies that can be put in place both short- and long-term to improve health outcomes for persons of color in the Commonwealth.
“We need to fully understand the reasons underlying the more devastating impact that COVID has wreaked on our African American community, and implement the policies and practices that will help allow them to reach their best health,” said Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky President and CEO Ben Chandler.
“Physicians and other healthcare providers should be aware of the social determinants of health that put racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19,” said KMA President Dale Toney, M.D.
The program will begin with the personal experiences of two African American Kentuckians who contracted COVID-19. Presentations also will include:
- “The Impact of COVID-19 on Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups” with Connie White, M.D., MS, OB/GYN and Deputy Commissioner, Clinical Affairs, Kentucky Department for Public Health, Frankfort, KY
- “Ensuring that Telemedicine Bridges, Rather than Deepens, the Gulf” with William C. Thornbury, Jr., M.D., General Family Medicine Practitioner, Glasgow, KY
- “Reducing Chronic Disease in African American Communities” with Karen Krigger, M.D., Director of Health Equity at the UofL School of Medicine and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky Endowed Chair in Urban Health Policy, Louisville, KY
Wayne Tuckson, M.D., Colorectal Surgeon and host of Kentucky Health on Kentucky Educational Television (KET), will moderate the program.
Registration is free and is available here.
About the Kentucky Medical Association
Established in 1851, the Kentucky Medical Association is a professional organization for physicians throughout the Commonwealth. The KMA works on behalf of physicians and the patients they serve to ensure the delivery of quality, affordable healthcare. Members of the KMA share a mission of commitment to the profession and service to the citizens of this Commonwealth that extends across rural and urban areas. From solo practitioners to academicians to large, multi-specialty groups, KMA is the ONLY state association representing every specialty and type of medical practice in Kentucky.
About the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky
Funded by an endowment, the mission of the nonpartisan Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is to address the unmet health needs of Kentuckians by developing and influencing policy, improving access to care, reducing health risks and disparities, and promoting health equity. Since the Foundation opened its doors in 2001, it has invested more than $29 million in health policy research, advocacy, and demonstration project grants across the Commonwealth. Learn more at www.healthy-ky.org.
Media Contacts:
Bonnie J. Hackbarth
bhackbarth@healthy-ky.org
877-326-2583 (Office)
502-552-3770 (Mobile)
Emily Schott
Schott@kyma.org
502-814-1388 (Office)
502-341-1926 (mobile)
