Episode 97: The Inequality of COVID-19 Into the Fold: Issues in Mental Health

It is fashionable to say that coronavirus doesn't discriminate, but this may be misleading. In fact, there is compelling data suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting some communities harder than others. A new study conducted by epidemiologists and clinician-researchers from six organizations and universities across the country found that counties with high rates of African American residents comprised 52 percent of all diagnoses and 58 percent of all COVID-19 deaths nationally. According to an analysis by American Public Media Research, blacks, despite making up about 13% of the US population according to the Census Bureau, are 27% of known COVID-19 deaths. In state after state, there is evidence that this pandemic is having a disproportionate effect on people of color, on the economically precarious, and on already stigmatized populations such as the homeless.

These findings may just be the tip of the iceberg. In this episode, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, representing Texas's 20th congressional district, and Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the Hogg Foundation, join us from their respective worlds of politics and philanthropy to discuss the deep social implications of coronavirus through a health equity lens.

Related links

We Protect Health by Prioritizing Health Equity
https://hogg.utexas.edu/we-protect-health-by-prioritizing-equity

Behavioral Health Equity in the Time of COVID-19
https://hogg.utexas.edu/behavioral-health-equity-in-the-time-of-covid-19

Sheltering in Uncertainty: Coping with COVID-19
https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-sheltering-in-uncertainty-coping-with-covid19

Census 2020 in the Time of Coronavirus
https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-census-2020-in-the-time-of-coronavirus

The coronavirus crisis exposes our society’s weaknesses. It’s time to correct them.
https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-coronavirus-crisis-exposes-our-societys-weaknesses