B L A C K
EQ UI TY 01
EDITION
WRITTEN BY
MEMBERS OF THE COALITION
WWW.BLACKEQUITYPGH.ORG
“Almost 50 years later, Joe Biden is president and Kamala Harris — a Black, Southeast Asian woman, is Vice President. Biden has indicated that racial equity will be a core focus of his presidency. Ford reminded the country of the neglected accomplishments of Black people while Biden has brought Black talent to his inner circle. Beyond the addition of Harris, Lloyd Austin, Marcia Fudge and Susan Rice have joined his cabinet. Most recently, his executive order on racial equity commits the federal government to strive to “advance equity for all throughout our federal policies and institutions.” By Malia Lazu February 26, 2021
Content 01
HOW IT STARTED
02
WHO WE ARE
03
FAQ'S
04
THE RESEARCH
05
STRATEGY AND REALITY
BLACK EQUITY 1.1
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THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH & ALLEGHENY COUNTY PASSED LEGISLATION ON RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE
-HOW IT STARTED
The Black Equity Coalition is a group of physicians, researchers, epidemiologists, public health practitioners, social scientists, community funders, academics, activists, government officials, nonprofit and business leaders.
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Initially, the BEC convened to ensure an equitable response to the coronavirus pandemic based on socio-economic and culturally relevant data. The BEC’s culturally relevant responses are designed to reduce health inequities and improve health and well-being in general and address the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in vulnerable populations.
Originally, the BEC focused on responding to COVID-19. The Coalition quickly realized that the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on the health, well-being and economic stability of people of color highlighted the need to address institutional racism and structural impediments that continue to plague Black undervalued and underserved communities. Thus, the Black Equity Coalition is committed to working on matters of racial equity beyond the pandemic’s eventual end.
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C O M M U N I T Y L P E N N S Y L V A N I I N J U S T I C E T H C O A L I T I O N ( B
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E A D E R S F R O M A C R O S S T H E A R E G I O N T A C K L E R O U G H T H E B L A C K E Q U I T Y E C ) .
The BEC consists of seven working groups focusing on critical impact areas. The Huddle Working Group is the leadership core.
The Huddle Working Group is the cross-sector group of physicians, social scientists, researchers, epidemiologists, civic community leaders and philanthropists that work to coordinate the working groups of the coalition, build viable connections, and fundraise to meet community needs. At least one representative of the Huddle group is an active member of each of the other Coalition working groups. The Black Business Support Committee explores how COVID-19 has impacted Small Black Businesses and what their needs are during this period. Efforts include understanding which technical resources are needed for businesses to respond to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Stability (CARES) Act and similar opportunities.
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The Community Engagement Committee provides clear and consistent messaging regarding the BEC's efforts and goals through community engagement, direct messaging, capturing community experiences through multi-media platforms. Members of the Community Engagement Committee elevated systemic disparities in vaccine access and led community vaccination events registering which led to thousands of residents to get the vaccine in the early weeks of its' availability.
Currently, this committee is exploring additional partnerships with social service agencies that will magnify the community's perspective on hesitancy to make sound health decisions.
The Policy Committee supports the use of data for policy recommendations and legislation focusing on reducing racial disparities in strategic areas of life, as well as methods to implement racism as a public health crisis legislation. The Education Committee advises school administrators on strategies to mitigate pandemic challenges to learning, especially for students of color. The Education Committee has given feedback to the Pittsburgh Public School District administration on remote learning, alternatives to in-person learning, and connections to community resources.
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The Statewide Coalition Committee represents a coordinated effort across the Pennsylvania Commonwealth to create a research infrastructure dedicated to sharing the emerging data trends and supporting analysis. This team’s focus is on treatment methodologies that curb infection rates, increase salient testing, and foster whole family response practices against comorbidities in Black and Brown communities. The Data Committee collects and studies data. They create data visualizations, submits and monitors data requests for trends in testing, vaccination, and other available information on aggregate and disaggregated bases in support of the Coalition's strategic priorities. Check out covid.createlab.org for more information. The BEC’s Data committee developed a data dashboard and identified racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes in early May 2020. The committee scraped data from state and local data systems, and later advocated for the public availability of county-level data disaggregated by race and geographic area, from Allegheny County Health Department. The dataset used for this tool. This was a critical factor in our ability to draw granular, interactive insights and recommendations on vulnerability and equity in Allegheny County.
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03/ H & V A Q
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O W W E R E T H E M O D E R N A P F I Z E R C O V I D - 1 9 A C C I N E S D E V E L O P E D N D T E S T E D S O U I C K L Y ?
W E R E
S T E P S
BEC asked medical professionals to give us easy answers to some leading questions about the vaccines and the facts on how they were developed and tested so quickly.
S K I P P E D ? FACT 1: The development of mRNA vaccines began two decades ago and was tested in mice. This step was NOT SKIPPED. FACT 2: No steps were skipped. The tests were conducted in phases at the same time, rather than one after the other; and outcomes were monitored at each phase.
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FACT 3: The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines authorized by the FDA have very good safety records. The FDA granted emergency use authorization (EUA) because research data from large clinical trials have shown them to be safe and effective.
FACT 4: Over the past months, millions of people in the U.S. have been safely vaccinated. Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson's vaccines have been found to be safe and effective in preventing serious cases of COVID-19. The FDA and CDC continue to carefully monitor each of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines for safety concerns. Adverse events after vaccination can be reported through the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS).
Additional information regarding the benefits and adverse reactions of vaccines can be found at www.contagionlive.com.
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PHASES FROM EARLY TESTING TO MONITORING AND EVALUATION
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Black Equity Coalition Releases the Missing our Shot: COVID-19 Vaccine Equity in Allegheny County Report Please reference & download today: Missing Our Shot: COVID-19 Vaccine Equity In Allegheny County Pittsburgh, PA, March 31, 2021 – Black Equity Coalition (BEC) released the Missing our Shot: COVID-19 Vaccine Equity in Allegheny County which sheds the light on the need
for
additional
data,
transparency,
capacity,
infrastructure, and data tracking issues in the Black communities within Allegheny County in regard to the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
"The disparity between Black and White lives lost during the
pandemic
are
disproportionately
alarming.
A
modified vaccine distribution approach would address this disparity by supplying hard hit communities with greater percentages of vaccinations. Fifty-seven weeks ago, Blacks were dying at 1.5 times the rate of their White counterparts. Today, that number has doubled. It is
critical
that
any
approach
ensures
an
equitable
distribution of vaccines in addition to connecting the needed resources to address the ongoing comorbidity issues
driving
this
disparity.
We
cannot
treat
without the other." - Fred Brown, CEO/President of the Forbes Funds
one
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STATEMENT FROM BLACK EQUITY COALITION DATA WORKING GROUP COMMITTEE
P l e a s e r e fe re n c e & d o w n l oa d t o d ay : B E C S t a t e m e nt _ I n c r e a s i n g Ra t es o f Di s p a r it y i n V a c c i n a t i o n . p d f
This graphic captures the disparity in hospitalization rates by race in Allegheny County during the so-called ‘fourth wave’ in April 2021. Fortunately, the rates have since declined across all racial groups, but the pronounced spike among the Black population over this period is concerning and speaks to the urgent need to close the vaccine gap.
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INCREASING RATES OF DISPARITY IN VACCINATION: DISTRIBUTION THROUGHOUT ALLEGHENY COUNTY The graphic below compares the distribution by race of Allegheny County’s fully vaccinated population compared with the total population of the county. White residents are slightly overrepresented, while Black residents and Asian/Pacific Islander residents are severely underrepresented. It is unclear what is driving the concentration of "Other/Multiracial" vaccine recipients, but this reinforces the need for record-level data to be provided to Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) in a way that allows for local partners (like the BEC) to analyze racial and geographic disparities in more detail. The Black Equity Coalition (BEC) Data Working Group has been advocating for this since March of 2020.
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INCREASING RATES OF DISPARITY IN VACCINATION: DISTRIBUTION THROUGHOUT ALLEGHENY COUNTY Race data is collected separately from Hispanic ethnicity for both the American Community Survey and PA DOH vaccine data. The data are shown in the graphic only includes racial variables, irrespective of ethnicity. Residents of Hispanic ethnicity make up a roughly proportional — though slightly lower — percentage of the fully vaccinated population as they do the population at large in the county (2.1% and 2.3% respectively).
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New Data Tool Tracks Inequities in COVID-19 Testing, Hospitalizations, and Deaths in Allegheny County Surgo Ventures, RAND Corporation, and Black Equity Coalition
launched
an
online
data
tool
to
help
policymakers address inequities in the county’s COVID19
response.
The
policymakers,
tool
was
community
developed
and
to
advocacy
help
groups,
concerned citizens and others to address the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on the health and well-being of people of color.
Allegheny
County
COVID-19
Vulnerability
+
Inequity
Tracker is designed to serve a variety of users including:
Policymakers: Regional policymakers could use the tool to identify municipalities with the greatest need and
expand
COVID-19
vaccination
and
testing
locations. Nationally the tool could be a model for collecting and analyzing relevant data. Community-based
organizations:
administrators
partner
could
vaccination
clinics
experiencing
vulnerability
to
specifically based
Nonprofit
provide
mobile
in
communities
on
neighborhood
need. Residents:
Allegheny
County
residents
can
stay
informed on the state of COVID-19 response in our communities.
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Surgo Ventures, RAND Corporation, and Black Equity Coalition’s data tool is designed to improve responses to COVID-19 and regional recovery. The tracker provides precise
local
create
culturally
interventions
data
for
community
and
targeting
leaders
to
programmatically pandemic-related
swiftly relevant
inequalities
both now and in the future. The tool will be updated weekly with new data. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted specifically
the
health
those
of
and color
well-being and
has
of
people,
elevated
long
standing health inequities across the United States. This interactive tool assesses the state of COVID-19 testing, cases, and deaths in Allegheny County, and allows users to visualize disparities and opportunities to address inequities in Allegheny County’s COVID-19 response.
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Among its findings:
Black residents in Allegheny County test positive and are hospitalized from COVID-19 at higher rates than White residents COVID-19 positivity rates in Allegheny County as a whole have exceeded WHO thresholds for infection control, with an average test positivity rate of 13%— much higher than the 5% benchmark rate
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About the creators of the Allegheny County COVID-19 Vulnerability + Inequity Tracker (ACCVIT):
Surgo Ventures is a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving health and social problems with precision. We do this by bringing together all the tools available from behavioral
science,
data
science,
and
artificial
intelligence to unlock solutions that will improve and save lives. It works globally: in the United States, the United
Kingdom,
and
in
low-
and
middle-income
countries on issues including COVID-19, tuberculosis, maternal and child health, housing, and more. Surgo Ventures
developed
the
COVID-19
Community
Vulnerability Index in March 2020 to help federal, state and local leaders target vulnerable communities with more informed and effective interventions. The index— which was inspired by the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index and is featured as a CDC resource—ranks U.S. communities in terms of their vulnerability to COVID-19 based on seven key factors, including socioeconomic status, housing and transportation-related challenges, minority status and languages spoken, epidemiological factors, and more.
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In
a
statement
Dr.
Sema
K.
Sgaier,
CEO
of
Surgo
Ventures and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said, “COVID-19 is an exceptional disease, not just because of the speed and extent of its spread, but because of the way it has highlighted and heightened the inequities that exist across the United States, including in Allegheny County. That’s
why
we
developed
the
COVID
Community
Vulnerability Index (CCVI) — to identify the communities impacted most negatively by the virus, so we can better serve those communities who are disproportionately impacted due to their race and ethnicity,”
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization whose mission is to develop solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world
safer
prosperous.
and To
more see
secure, the
healthier
tool
in
and
more
action,
visit:
www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TLA1080-1/tool.html
“This tool provides a portrait of the communities in Allegheny County that are most vulnerable to COVID-19 and the racial inequities experienced thus far during the pandemic,” said Evan Peet, a RAND economist who helped create the tool.
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The
Black
Equity
Coalition
was
able
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to
incorporate
health equity principles into the development process using a cross-contextual lens. Thus contributing to a more equitable development and dissemination process. "This tool will allow for key stakeholders to act swiftly in creating
culturally
interventions
and
and
programmatically
policies
to
eliminate
relevant COVID-19
inequities,” said Dr. Tiffany Gary-Webb, Black Equity Coalition University
and of
Associate
Professor
Pittsburgh
Graduate
of
Epidemiology
School
of
Health.
Surgo Ventures Contact: Bethany Hardy, bethanyhardy@surgoventures.org, 202-277-3848
Black Equity Coalition Contact: Ayanna A. King, ayanna@blackequitypgh.org, (412) 609-4481
Public
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05/ T H E
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B E C I S A S K I N G P I T T S B U R G H C O M M U N I T Y :
D I D Y O U D E C I D E T O T H E V A C C I N E ? W H Y W H Y N O T ?
O U R
G E T O R
T E L L U S Y O U R O P I N I O N U S I N G T H I S S U R V E Y : B E C C O M M U N I T Y V O I C E S U R V E Y
For further details please contact: www.blackequitypgh.org www.facebook.com/blackequitypgh
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N A T I O N A L N E I G H B O R H O O D I N D I C A T O R S P A R T N E R S H I P G . T H O M A S K I N G S L E Y I M P A C T A W A R D
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B C D R 1 T C A C
L A C K E Q U I T Y O A L I T I O N E P L O Y S D A T A T O E D U C E C O V I D 9 ' S I M P A C T O N H E B L A C K O M M U N I T Y I N L L E G H E N Y O U N T Y | N N I P
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In 2016 during NNIP's 20th
Harnessing interdisciplinary
anniversary year, the network
expertise and perspectives, the
introduced two new annual
Black Equity Coalition (BEC) in
awards to recognize NNIP
Pittsburgh successfully used data
Partners who have made
to advocate for programs and
exceptional contributions to
policies to decrease racial
both NNIP and their local
disparities in COVID-19 response
communities.
and created a forum to tackle other health inequities.
B E C P A N E L D I S C U S S I O N : C O M M O N W E A L T H ' S A C T I N G P H Y S I C I A N G E N E R A L , D R . D E N I S E A . J O H N S O N M . D . ( 1 5 J U N E 2 0 2 1 )
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