Structural racism associated with higher COVID-19 death rates in Louisiana--study

Structural racism associated with higher COVID-19 death rates in Louisiana Story at a glance COVID-19 took a disproportionate toll on Black populations in the United States. New research on societal stressors in Louisiana underscores the role structural racism played in t… Gianna Melillo The Hill

Understanding structural racism’s impact on health care requires taking a long view of events and policies that led up to current health outcomes.

In Louisiana, researchers did just that and determined structural racism and inequities, such as proximity of predominantly Black neighborhoods to industrial facilities and higher rates of uninsured individuals, contributed to the disproportionate impact COVID-19 took on Black residents in the state. 

Findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. To conduct the study, researchers at the University of Maryland assessed spatial distribution of social, environmental, and economic stressors throughout Louisiana to identify aggregate stressors.

...