(The Center Square) – Rural and minority communities in Georgia need more private-public partnerships to cure health disparities, health and community leaders told lawmakers Monday.
The House Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony about the various health care issues that disproportionally plagued Black and Hispanic Georgians and those who live in smaller communities.
Dr. Patrice Harris, an immediate past president of the American Medical Association, said the first way to address health disparities is to gather data to study the issue.
“Data is the new currency. It’s the new oil,” Harris said. “We’ve seen that if we want to know where the problems are and immediately go to those problems, we do need data. I think there will be public-private opportunities to do all that we can to improve our data infrastructure.”
Harris and the heads of some of Georgia’s medical associations, institutions and advocacy groups stressed the importance of accomplishing health equity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is more critical among rural and minority communities because of low vaccination rates, other health disparities, mistrust and lack of access to care, the health care leaders told lawmakers.
Dr. Dominic Mack, director of Morehouse School of Medicine’s National Center for Primary Care, presented data showing Black people are more likely to die from COVID-19 than any other race. The Moorehouse report shows Black Georgians are at a higher risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms because they face an increased number of preexisting conditions.
Mack and Harris said a lack of education and technology also drive down the health outcomes for people in underserved communities.
Georgia lawmakers have passed legislation and formed partnerships to expand internet access in the state, hoping to increase telehealth services and the availability of information in rural areas. Dr. Raulnina Uzzle, chief medical officer at MedCura Health, told lawmakers the organization coordinates peer groups that have appeared to help educate patients.
Former state. Rep. Howard Mosby, a board member at the patient advocacy organization Heal Collaborative, said places of worship are the first line of defense for Black people against sickness.
“There is a lot of misinformation and mistrust around health care, so we decided to approach the most trusted voice in the community right now, and that is the church,” Mosby said.
Heal Collaborative partners with churches to provide health education to the community. He asked lawmakers to assist with the organizations’ efforts on Monday.
“We would like for y’all to be our partners in this,” Mosby said.
Marlon Harris, pastor of New Life Communities Ministries, runs a church and community center in a majority Black neighborhood in Decatur. His organization is part of Heal Collaborative’s initiative. Harris said the community center has tended to more than 20,000 people. He said many of them have untreated illnesses and lack access to proper nutrition.
“You’ve been entrusted with power and legislative influence. We are here today to call upon you to leverage your power and influence for the poor and overlooked,” Harris said. “I will do my best to speak for them, but they so desperately need for us to use our power to speak to them.”
