NH75OT000030

MA DPH Disparities 2021-2023 - The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) proposes to build on the extensive work of its Office of Health Equity and its COVID-19 Health Equity Initiatives to expand and enhance its COVID-19 efforts, health equity data, and social determinants of health work.

The overarching aim of our proposal is to improve COVID-19 and other health outcomes for the racial, ethnic, and rural groups most impacted by the pandemic in the Commonwealth, including identified priority populations. These populations include those who are Black, Hispanic, and/or low income and who live in either high density communities or rural communities.

This proposal is interwoven into the state efforts to vaccinate, test, contact trace, and isolate, along with its efforts to address the upstream causes of poor health. The pandemic exacerbated pre-existing health inequities and highlighted the structural barriers to good health for many in the state.

In Massachusetts, the communities hardest hit by COVID-19 are primarily communities of color. The highest rates of positive cases and hospitalizations are found in either Massachusetts' Black and Hispanic residents. The age-adjusted death rate is highest for Black residents and second highest for Hispanic residents.

Massachusetts' COVID-19 Community Impact Survey found that adults who worked outside the home were two times more likely to report a positive COVID test compared to those who could work from home. In addition, the adults reporting the worst economic impact from COVID-19 were non-white, spoke languages other than English, had lower incomes and less educational attainment, and/or had a disability.

In response, Massachusetts developed a COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Initiative that partners with the populations and communities hardest hit by COVID-19 to increase awareness and acceptance of the vaccine, access to vaccination locations, and vaccine administration rates. Additionally, the COVID-19 Health Equity Advisory Group advises MDPH on the needs of communities and populations disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Led by the Office of Health Equity, MDPH will build on existing COVID-19 equity initiatives by implementing activities in all four CDC program strategies of COVID-19 mitigation and prevention, data collection and reporting, infrastructure, and partnerships for the social determinants of health.

This proposal has a special emphasis on building the state's data systems for health equity to ensure the state can provide comprehensive and granular data on populations most at-risk for COVID-19 and most affected by the social determinants of health. It includes a focus on building state and local partnerships to address COVID-19 and health equity, expanding mitigation and vaccination efforts to rural communities, and creating partnerships for addressing the root causes of poor health.

Massachusetts Department Of Public Health

NOT APPLICABLE

93.354 - Public Health Emergency Response: Cooperative Agreement for Emergency Response: Public Health Crisis Response

CDC Office of Financial Resources (OFR) [HHS - CDC]

Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (CSTLTS) [HHS - CDC]

Massachusetts United States

State-Wide

National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities (CDC-RFA-OT21-2103)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 05/31/23 to 05/31/25.