The Impact of Healthcare Disparities on the Frontline -- Frazier Beatty, PhD, MPH
Dr. Frazier Beatty discusses how socioeconomic disparities have impacted frontline workers in the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the WHO 80 to 180 thousand healthcare workers have died of COVID-19 between Jan. 2020 to May 2021. Only 1 in 10 healthcare workers are fully vaccinated in the African region compared to 80% in fully developed countries. In the United States frontline workers are disproportionately comprised of minorities who have little economic resources and an inadequate social safety net. In the United States, no one is really tracking the impact of COVID-19 on Frontline Workers. Kaiser Health News and The Guardian reported over 3,600 deaths of healthcare workers as of April 2020, two-thirds of them were people of color, but the CDC as of Sept 6, 2022 has listed only 2,307 worker deaths. Dr. Beatty stressed the importance of adequate PPE, vaccinations and leveraging technology such as telehealth. If N95s are the best mask to use, then give it to all who work on the frontline. And, involving community leaders, for example, by going to churches and engaging church leaders is of prime importance. “You have to bring someone from the community to help them understand what the problem is and when you don’t. you alienate them and then they do not trust you.” Health Watch USA(sm) Webinar, Frontline Worker Safety in the Age of COVID-19: A Global Perspective. Sept. 14, 2022  Download Slides
   
Presentations from additional countries can be viewed at:  https://www.healthwatchusa.org/conference2022/index.html