Will Cunningham Hosts Virtual Town Hall on COVID-19 & Communities of Color
AC JosepH Media
VINELAND — Congressional Candidate Will Cunningham will host his seventh in a series of virtual town-halls to discuss the pernicious and disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on communities of color, particularly African-Americans on Thursday.
“Racial health disparities have long existed in America, and it is truly saddening to witness the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on communities of color. The government’s response must be in direct proportion to the severity of the pandemic, and that means directly addressing and devoting more resources to eradicate racial health disparities,” Cunningham said.
“The time is now for single-payer government run healthcare that enables all Americans to have the life-saving access to care they deserve and desperately need,” Cunningham said.
READ: Open Letter to NJ D2 Congressional Candidates: Address Healthcare Disparities
CNN reported earlier this month that while “Black Americans represent 13.4 percent of the American population, according to the US Census Bureau, counties with higher black populations account for more than half of all Covid-19 cases and almost 60% of deaths.â€
“The coronavirus pandemic crisis is a public health crisis and a medical crisis. They are both a challenge to the public, in general, and specifically, to vulnerable and susceptible populations. The ethical question is, “What are we going to do about it?,” said Tuskegee University Dr. Rueben Warren.
Several underlying lung diseases that make COVID fatal disproportionately effect African-Americans such as asthma, sarcoidosis, and lung cancer.
“We braced ourselves when we heard that Covid-19 attacked the lungs, we knew then that it would have a disparate effect on Black smokers. Now the data is showing that the risk of disease progression in those who currently smoke or previously smoked is nearly double that of non-smokers. We see tobacco use as one of the biggest drivers of health inequities. It is even more important as we deal with COVID-19, that people view smoking and vaping as addictive communicable diseases spread to new generations through seductive and predatory targeting. We need to stop it to really improve the health of our communities.” Carol McGruder, Co-Chair African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council.
To watch the live discussion viewers can register here at tinyurl.com/willtownhallrace
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