A Framework for Mobilizing Health Care to Respond to the Community Within the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Fayron Epps, Emory University; Zanthia Wiley, Emory University; Larissa Teunis, Emory University; Theodore Johnson II, Emory University; Rachel Patzer, Emory University; Ighovwerha Ofotokun, Emory University; Nicole Franks, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-04-01
• Publisher: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: Preventing Chronic Disease is a publication of the U.S. Government. This publication is in the public domain and is therefore without copyright. All text from this work may be reprinted freely. Use of these materials should be properly cited.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.200572
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Preventing Chronic Disease
• Volume: 18
• Grant/Funding Information: We also acknowledge funding support from the Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center. This work was also partly supported by a career development award from the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (no. K23AG065452 to FE) and Georgia Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) award (no. U1QHP33070). The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, HRSA, US Department of Health and Human Services, the US government, or NIH.
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Health Care Management; Biology, Virology; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Cultural mistrust of government with regard to health issues has pressed the need to engage trusted community leaders with influence and reach in disproportionately affected communities to ensure that essential public health activities related to COVID-19 occur among populations experiencing disproportionate impact from the pandemic. In April of 2020, a Georgia-based integrated academic health care system created a Community Outreach and Health Disparities Collaborative to unite trusted community leaders from faith-based, civic, and health-sector organizations to work with the health system and Emory University to develop tailored approaches and mobilize support within the context of the communities’ cultural and individual needs to reduce the burden of COVID-19. We describe the framework used to join health care and academic collaborators with community partners to mobilize efforts to address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic minority groups. The framework outlines a series of steps taken that led to a community-driven collaboration designed to engage local influential community leaders as partners in improving access to care for disproportionately affected communities, collaborations that could be replicated by other large health care systems. This framework can also be applied to other chronic diseases or future public health emergencies to improve communication, education, and health care access for communities experiencing disproportionate impact.