During the Covid pandemic, Federally Qualified Health Centers have played a crucial role in providing access to underserved patients and administering a majority of Covid vaccinations to people of color. These nonprofit primary care centers are important educators on pandemic policies that support health equity.
An analysis conducted by researchers highlights the importance of relationship-building in creating an equitable pandemic response. The study emphasizes three key insights that can inform future pandemic policies aimed at advancing health equity.
Firstly, prioritizing relationship-building can help generate trust in public health interventions. Secondly, it is essential to acknowledge and address inequities within the public health system. Lastly, solidarity is crucial but often underutilized in U.S. public health efforts.
Community health centers have demonstrated solidarity during the pandemic by implementing strategies that focused on vulnerable populations. For example, one center created a program to reserve vaccines for migrant workers by visiting farms. The researchers concluded that broader U.S. public health plans could benefit from adopting such approaches, which involve meaningful partnerships with and support for the patient community. The article discussing these insights was published in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics and received support from the Gil Omen and Martha Darling Fund for Trusted and Trustworthy Scientific Innovation