COLUMBUS – Health officials say the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the health care disparity between black and white Ohioans, prompting the Franklin County Board of Health to join a growing number of cities and counties that have declared racism a public health crisis.
The health divide causes black Ohioans to have lower life expectancies than whites and to be far more likely than other races to die before the age of 75.
The board says it’s committed to understanding, addressing, and dismantling racism.
“Our racial categorization of people has no biological basis. The racial differences that we measure are the consequence of the cumulative disparate impact of centuries of policies, practices, and systems that have intentionally provided advantage to some while, simultaneously, intentionally subjecting others to disadvantage,” said board member Dr. Arthur James.
The Health Policy Institute of Ohio says research has shown that African-Americans are also more likely to die of heart disease or stroke. Black Ohioans also have a nearly three times higher rate of infant mortality, lower birth weights, are more likely to be overweight or obese, have adult onset diabetes, and have long-term complications from diabetes.
The board said that racism, not race, also causes disproportionately high rates of homelessness, incarceration, poor education, and economic hardship for African Americans.