Minority Health Month: Spotlight on COVID-19

Each week throughout April, in recognition of National Minority Health Month, PCORI will spotlight health conditions that disproportionately affect communities of color. One of PCORI's National Priorities for Health is to achieve health equity. As part of this mission, we will also share information about PCORI-funded studies aimed to address health disparities affecting underrepresented communities. Please check back as we highlight different health conditions and PCORI-funded projects. Click here to learn more about National Minority Health Month.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled many structural issues with healthcare delivery in the United States. In many ways, healthcare disparities that existed prior to the pandemic were magnified by it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), non-Hispanic Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic people are more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than Asian or White people. COVID-related deaths also disproportionately affect these communities. For instance, one study showed that while Blacks make up 12 percent of the US population, 34 percent of deaths due to COVID occurred in the Black community.

An Engagement project funded by PCORI gathered input from members of an extensive Black community network in North Carolina regarding their beliefs and biggest concerns about the pandemic. Through community focus groups, virtual townhall meetings, a community-based survey on COVID-19, and taskforce sessions, the project team solicited feedback to develop potential research questions about COVID’s impact on the Black community. Actively involving underserved communities, like this one, in the development of research studies is critical to eliminating health disparities.

To learn more about PCORI’s patient-centered work on COVID-19, click here.