by AARP Regional Vice President Rawle Andrews Jr. and AARP Pennsylvania State Director Bill Johnston-Walsh
The Coronavirus struck quickly, but its impact has been far from equal. The numbers tell the story:
In Pennsylvania, where African-Americans account for 11.3 percent of the state’s population, they comprise almost 33 percent of the reported 22,725 COVID-19 cases where the race of the patient was known. In Philadelphia alone, 52 percent of the Coronavirus deaths in the city are among African-American residents. The virus is hitting our communities of color the hardest.
Pennsylvania’s multicultural communities face a disproportionately tough battle against the virus and its effects. The people in these communities are struggling both to stay healthy and economically secure. The disparities they must grapple with are not unique or new to the Coronavirus, rather they have been magnified during the pandemic. They are rooted in deep structural inequalities in our communities. For the many who are from multicultural communities and are part of the “essential” workforce, staying home during quarantine is not an option. African–Americans are disproportionately being put at higher risk of exposure while serving in essential jobs—and at higher risk of unemployment as nonessential workers are furloughed or laid off.
Bill Johnston-Walsh
Governor Tom Wolf recognized the need to address the racial and ethnic disparities related to the pandemic, and he announced the formation of a COVID-19 Response Task Force on Health Disparity led by Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman. This group of statewide experts represents the first step toward addressing the inequalities highlighted by the pandemic. However, simply knowing that a problem exits is not enough. Coming up with solutions comes next. This Task Force must have access to data that can be analyzed and used to guide recommended actions and it should be made permanent. The disparities it must address existed in our state before COVID-19, and they will continue after the virus has abated. The Task Force’s work will help Pennsylvania prepare for future health crises.
AARP Pennsylvania, on behalf of our 1.8 million members and all Pennsylvanians age 50 and older, encourages the Task Force, along with local, state, and federal officials, to commit to tackling the critical problems that will help the Commonwealth’s multicultural communities weather this and future pandemics, while putting the state on a path to eliminate these disparities:
Protect Pennsylvania’s essential workers. Pennsylvania’s essential workers have put their lives on the line to keep our state running and provide the services Pennsylvanians rely on. They have kept our buses running, they have stocked our grocery shelves with food, and they have saved lives in hospitals throughout the state. The safety of these workers should be a top priority, as staying home during a quarantine is not an option for them. As we fight the pandemic, Pennsylvania must ensure frontline workers have adequate amounts of personal protective equipment (PPE) and access to rapid COVID-19 testing. This includes those working in healthcare, home care, nursing homes, transportation, food services, janitorial service, grocery stores, and any other profession considered essential in Pennsylvania. These workers should also be given in-language, culturally relevant information on how to minimize their risk, and where needed, it should be delivered by the appropriate spokespeople.
Demographic Data Collection and Reporting. At the onset of the pandemic while other states and municipalities publicized data on the race of COVID-19 patients, Pennsylvania struggled early on to collect comprehensive demographics, which experts and some lawmakers say are vital to public health officials’ ability to target resources and begin to scale back social distancing. The Wolf Administration made a commitment to provide, gather, and share data with the public; and by mid-May it began publishing the number of confirmed cases and deaths for every county in Pennsylvania, it created a public dashboard of hospital preparedness data, and released a breakdown of cases by gender, race and some ethnicity information for almost all of the state’s COVID-19-related deaths. The state must continue to improve its data collection capacity and act on the data it has while devising short and long-term policy solutions that save lives.
Combatting Xenophobia
The spread of COVID-19 has unfortunately led to discrimination and targeting of our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Wasi Mohamed, the Chairperson of the Pennsylvania Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, has explained that the discrimination in the state has not just come in the form of physical and verbal assaults, but also in the boycotting of Asian American Pacific Islander-owned businesses, the denial of public accommodation, and the denial of access to relief efforts. The ire directed at them has hurt small business owners, individuals, and their families, and it should not be tolerated. Addressing rising xenophobia in Pennsylvania and educating residents on how destructive it can be for Pennsylvanians of all groups must be a priority. While racial and ethnic disparities have existed for decades, the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has once again sent a clear message—this time, perhaps louder than ever. Now is the time to work collectively— across all levels of government, non-profit, and the private sector— to expose and address structural racism and xenophobia that adversely affect communities of color. It could end up being a matter of life and death.
Target education to stop the spread. Pennsylvania must reach out to vulnerable communities about preventive measures like hand washing and mask use, direct them to nearby testing and treatment, and provide guidance to families living in multi-generational households about steps to stop the spread.
Support unpaid family caregivers. Pennsylvania’s 1.6 million unpaid family caregivers faced financial strain before this pandemic, and the virus is amplifying their struggle. Nationally, all caregivers spend an average of 20 percent of their annual income caring for older loved ones. However, Hispanic family caregivers report spending 44 percent of their annual income caring for older loved ones. African–American family caregivers are spending 34 percent of their income caring for loved ones.
Multicultural communities also see a higher prevalence of caregiving—37 percent of caregivers are African-American or Hispanic, and, importantly, they are more likely to spend a greater amount of time caring for a loved one than white caregivers. Passing a tax credit for family caregivers will help these unpaid Pennsylvanians support their loved ones where they want to live—at home—and out of expensive and potentially dangerous taxpayer-funded nursing homes.
Offer paid sick leave. The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act temporarily ensures more workers have access to paid sick leave during the pandemic, allowing them to stay home and slow the spread of the virus without risking financial ruin. However, that provision expires at the end of 2020. When it does, we need to ensure more Pennsylvanians continue to have access to this significant benefit.
AARP Pennsylvania stands ready to help. We are committed to working with elected officials, local leaders, and community partners to find and implement solutions that will help us emerge from this crisis on the right track to better address the racial and ethnic disparities in our state.
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