Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1480010
31 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT Black COVID-19 'long-haulers' struggle to get treatment By Cailey Gleeson B lack patients suffering from long COVID-19 are experiencing difficulties getting treatment despite comprising the brunt of cases and hospitalizations, NBC News reported Aug. 28. Chimére Smith, 40, of Baltimore, has been experiencing lingering symptoms since her bout with the virus in March 2020. "I would come in with notes of my symptoms and share these symptoms with these doctors and they would not hear me. ey wouldn't listen to me. ey would treat me as if I was a child and I didn't know my body," Ms. Smith told NBC. In May 2021, Ms. Smith found the "BIPOC Women Long Covid 'Long Hauler' Support Group," a Facebook group, and has been better able to advocate for herself since. e group is one of many advocacy groups that have popped up for patients to find communities and support for their experiences during the pandemic. Margot Gage Witvliet, PhD, a social epidemiologist and assistant professor at Beaumont, Texas-based Lamar University, founded the group Ms. Smith is in. She said researchers may not understand the barriers faced by women of color. "We're not honing in enough on how the social determinants of health are going to impact the recovery process — and that's going to look different in different subgroups," Dr. Witvliet told NBC. "And I think that that's like an elephant in the room that's not being discussed." n Viewpoint: Health equity can't be achieved without nurses By Cailey Gleeson T he public health sector needs to provide nurses with resources to more comprehensively address and advocate for health equity, Tarissa Host wrote for the MinnPost Aug. 22. Ms. Host is research professional in the division of geriatrics, palliative and primary care at the Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota Medical School. "Nurses are already facing expectations to address health and social justice issues," she wrote. A report from the National Academy of Medicine recognized nurses as "the link between clinical care, public health and social services," yet Ms. Host said there's yet to be significant resources to encourage the wellbeing of nurses. "Until these systemic issues are appropriately addressed, progress cannot be made towards eliminating health disparities and improving the health and well-being of all," Ms. Host wrote. n HHS invests $20M in maternal health initiatives By Cailey Gleeson H HS, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, announced on Aug. 29 an investment of more than $20 million for initiatives aiming to improve maternal and infant health. "To make meaningful change, we need to center our work on the individuals and families we are serving, and that is what today's investments aim to do," Carole Johnson, HRSA administrator, said in an Aug. 29 news release. The awards will fund efforts to support state-led maternal health innovation, improve maternal care in rural communities, increase access to community-based doulas and address infant mortality. "The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to prioritizing equity and reducing the unacceptable disparities in maternal and infant health," Ms. Johnson said. "Through these awards, we are taking additional action to implement the Blueprint that the President and Vice President have laid out for driving impactful solutions and providing our nation's families with the support and resources they need to lead healthy lives." n