Statement on Racism and Health
June 4, 2020
The data and research evidence are clear that racism is a systemic and ongoing public health crisis with serious consequences for the health of Ohioans. It is also clear that racism is a crisis with profound and pervasive impacts across all the factors that shape our health. This includes our healthcare, education, housing, food, economic, criminal justice and political systems, among others.
Racist policies such as slavery, Jim Crow laws and redlining were eliminated years ago, but the long-term impacts of these policies persist. The perpetuation of racism within our society is ongoing and its impact has accumulated and compounded over time. As a result, communities of color, particularly black/African-American Ohioans, experience deeply troubling inequities that lead to large disparities in health outcomes.
We are encouraged that many Ohioans, including state and local leaders, are committing to address racism as a public health crisis. There are evidence-informed actions each of us can take to eliminate racism and other prejudices within ourselves and our communities. There are also many evidence-informed policies that can be implemented by state and local policymakers and other leaders to eliminate health disparities and inequities.
The following HPIO resources provide data on disparities and inequities in Ohio and information on how to advance equity:
- All of HPIO’s equity-related work
- HPIO equity resource page
- Ohio COVID-19 Disparities by Race – HPIO data brief (May 2020)
- 2019 Health Value Dashboard equity profiles (and full Dashboard) (April 2019)
- Closing Ohio’s Health Gaps: Moving Towards Equity – HPIO policy brief (October 2018)
- A New Approach to Reduce Infant Mortality and Achieve Equity: Policy Recommendations to Improve Housing, Transportation, Education and Employment– Report written by HPIO, under contract with the Legislative Services Commission (December 2017)
