COVID-19 has impacted some communities more than others. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that non-Hispanic black persons, Hispanics and Latinos, and American Indians/Alaska Natives are experiencing higher rates of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 than among non-Hispanic white persons. Existing health disparities in BIPOC communities have been worsened by COVID-19.

In this free, 60-minute webinar, learn about healthcare disparities among BIPOC in the context of COVID-19 including:

-Evaluating the current landscape: racial disparities in COVID-19 (testing, reporting, deaths by state)
-Discussing COVID-19 related disparities for vulnerable populations
-Reviewing COVID-19 related disparities in the context of mental health
-Recognizing drivers of disparities in COVID-19 (racism, structural and social determinants of health)
-Strategizing for the future during times of uncertainty

A copy of the slides is available for download here: https://www.mhanational.org/events/how-covid-19-has-exacerbated-healthcare-disparities-among-bipoc

Meet the Presenters:
Danica Love Brown, MSW, Ph.D., is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, born and raised in Northern New Mexico. She currently is the Behavioral Health Manager at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and has worked as a mental health and substance abuse counselor, social worker and youth advocate for over 20 years. She has a history of working in the areas of prevention, drug and alcohol/mental health treatment, community and restorative justice, and sexual health with Native American and adjudicated youth, families and women. She specializes in working with culturally and socioeconomically diverse populations and Tribal communities, utilizing a trauma informed care framework. Danica is an Indigenous Wellness Research Institute ISMART fellow alumni, Council of Social Work Education, Minority Fellowship Program fellow alumni and Northwest Native American Research Center for Health, fellow alumni. Her research is focused on Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Decolonizing Methodologies to address historical trauma and health disparities in Tribal communities and she loves puppies.

S. Michelle Ogunwole, MD is a health disparities researcher, social epidemiologist and General Internal Medicine physician specializing in the care of women with chronic medical conditions. She has advanced training in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Science. Her research is focused on racial disparities in maternal health outcomes among African American women. Specifically, she is interested in four main topics. 1) The role of the general internist in optimizing chronic medical conditions in the preconception period. 2) Postpartum chronic disease and long term health outcomes related to complications of pregnancy, particularly for women with gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, or excessive gestational weight gain. 3)African American women's experience with the healthcare system (specifically their experiences of racial discrimination) and barriers to primary care follow up after pregnancy. 4) Creating equitable, community driven quality improvement interventions around transitions of care from obstetrics to primary care for racial/ethnic minorities who experience medically complicated pregnancies. Dr. Ogunwole also has an active role in medical education. She serves on the Association of American Medical Colleges Quality Improvement and Patient Safety competencies working group where she worked extensively on the health and healthcare equity domain of the recently published quality improvement and patient safety education competencies. She participates in student engagement around implicit bias mitigation in clinical care and patient-centered communication. She actively works to improve the diversity of the healthcare workforce by participating in recruitment and application review for medical students, residents, and faculty.