HJAR Nov/Dec 2020

24 NOV / DEC 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS COVID-19 HEALTH DISPARITIES and serve the bulk of students of color are adequately funded and equipped to provide a quality educational experience for students at minimal to no health risk. Health Professions – Postgraduate Education The admissions process of all healthcare disciplines must be one that is holistic and that has diversity of the healthcare workforce as an ultimate goal. Academic Health Centers must enhance the curriculum to include lec- tures on health disparities and their origin, the historical impact of structural racism on population health, the social determinants of health and cultural humility and must pro- vide mandatory implicit bias training along with experiential learning through the care of patients from underserved and marginal- ized populations. I agree with and support the current na- tional slogan “We are all in this together.” It is reminiscent of the following quote by Dr. Martin Luther King: “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” 20 Although his statement was made in the context of over- coming poverty and racism, which, unlike COVID-19, are visible enemies, both state- ments call for unity, love of neighbor and giving of one’s self for the public good. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that we must be more inclusive and supportive of individuals frommarginalized, underserved, and disadvantaged populations who continue to suffer economic hardships, lower levels of educational attainment, and disproportion- ately poorer health. To survive as a nation, we must become a more sympathetic, car- ing and humane society that recognizes that the health, economic stability and vitality of any society is determined by the sum of its parts, including the health and well-being of the poor and people of color. Again, turning to Dr. King we cannot expect anyone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps when they are bootless. 21 We must be intentional and inclusive as we move forward. n computers in households, year-round tutoring services, academic counseling, social services support to parents, funds to support standardized test prep (such as AP courses, SAT), instruction and guidance on completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and guidance on college selection. Educational models will no longer be predominantly tied to the classroom but will incorporate a large virtual platform. Funding should also be provided to expand the K-12 workforce, increasing the number and salaries of teachers, teacher assistants, social workers, on-site healthcare providers, custodial workers, bus drivers and food service workers. Postsecondary Education At the postsecondary educational level, free or greatly reduced tuition through state and federal funding will provide access to the educational system and provide a vehicle through which students of color may attain economic stability, become socially mobile and increase their access to equitable qual- ity healthcare. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) produce over 20 percent of all African-American graduates while Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HIS’s) educate roughly two-thirds of all Hispanic students. 17,18 In 2018, only 17 percent (124,000) of NativeAmerican students continued their education after high school. While only 7 per- cent to 8 percent of graduating high school students attended a Tribal College and Uni- versity (TCU), 78 percent of students enrolled at TCUs were NativeAmerican. 19 There should be increased federal funding to HBCUs, HSIs, TCUs and communities of color to address early educational inequities and to increase the number of minority and disadvantaged students of color who progress academically through the K-12 level and into postsecond- ary education. As we emerge from the COV- ID-19 pandemic, we must ensure that schools that have been historically underfunded at the K-12 and postsecondary education levels Billy Thomas , MD, MPH , is a professor of neonatology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and former vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion in the Center for Diversity Affairs of UAMS. Thomas earned a medical degree at UAMS in 1980. He completed residency training in pediatrics at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. He subsequently completed a fellowship in neonatal/perinatal medicine at Case Western Reserve/ Metropolitan General Hospital and received a master’s in public health from the Tulane School of Public Health. His clinical service is primarily inpatient and focuses on the care of critically ill neonates. REFERENCES 1. The color of coronavirus: COVID-19 deaths by race and ethnicity in the U.S. https://www. apmresearchlab.org/covid/deaths-by-race.APMStaff.Assessed9 -24-20. 2. UnitedStatesCensusBureau.QuickFacts. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/ PST045219.Accessed 9-20-2020 3. TheArkansas Department of Health COVID-19 Case Update. Status Update September 23, 2020 .https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/c2ef4a4fcbe5458fbf2e48a21e4fece9 4. Medical students need to learn about health disparities to combat future pandemics. Selwyn VickersApril 30,2020.Association ofAmericanMedicalColleges 5. Why ismycommunity sufferingmore fromCOVID-19?MalikaFair,May20,2020.Associa- tionofAmericanMedicalColleges. 6. Here’s Our List of Colleges’ Reopening Models. The Chronicles of Higher Educa- tion. Updated September 21, 2020. https://www.chronicle.com/article/heres-a-list-of- colleges-plans-for-reopening-in-the-fall/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_ campaign=campaign_1535204_nl_Academe-Today_date_20200918&cid=at&source=ams&sou rceId=324829#id=106397– assessed 9-24-20) 7. Operating Schools During COVID-19: Center for Disease Control and Prevention https:// www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html. Assessed 9-24-2020 8. TrackingCovidatU.S.CollegesandUniversities.ByTheNewYorkTimesUpdatedSept.10, 2020 .https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/covid-college-cases-tracker.html 9. ThomasBR.HealthandHealthCareDisparities:TheEffectofSocialandEnvironmentalFac- torson IndividualandPopulationHealth. Int. J.Environ.Res.PublicHealth2014,11,7492-7507. 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Brainy Quotes. https://www. brainyquote.com/quotes/martinlutherkingjr403521.Assesses 9-24-20. 21.NBC News and Broadcasting and Media Production Company. Source of MLK “Cruel jest to say to a bootless man” interview quote. Full interview that NBC originally aired on June 11, 1967 in the special “AfterCivilRights:Black Power.” https://medium.com/@ joshdance/source- of-mlk-cruel-jest-to-say-to-a-bootless-man-interview-quote-4b71105dee35.Assesses 9-24-30.