In this Issue:
– COVID-19 Amplifies Nashville Disparities
– Tracking COVID in Tennessee
– Welcoming Dr. Michael Caldwell
– Partner News
“The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates to us that we can’t do this alone … we do better when we all work together.” Dr. Tony Iton.
COVID-19 has amplified and exploited our city’s long-standing health disparities and inequities. To eliminate them and create a healthier, more resilient community, we must better understand the landscape. Results from the Nashville Community Health and Well-being Survey can help.
For example, key survey findings show African American females in Davidson County are six times more likely to experience emotional distress due to discrimination than white, non-Hispanic females; Hispanic males are 12 times more likely to experience discrimination when seeking healthcare than white, non-Hispanic males; and African Americans are nearly three times more likely to have diabetes than white, non-Hispanics.
A future health crisis will only deepen these disparities. Using data, we can uproot the inequities that create disparities and build a healthier community. Together, we can do better.
The density map below is created by the Metro Public Health Department each Monday and is available via the city’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Each day, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) releases figures tracking the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each county and statewide. In an effort to raise awareness about these figures and understand how infection rates are changing, NashvilleHealth shares tracking updates and insights based on TDH data.
Data acquired from the TDH Website, as of July 11 analyzed by Sajid Khan, Change Healthcare and NashvilleHealth Board.
*Total TN & Other County Cases Include Out Of State Cases Diagnosed in TN
NashvilleHealth welcomes Michael Caldwell, M.D., Nashville’s new director of the Metro Public Health Department.
Dr. Caldwell, a seasoned public health leader, joined the department in early March 2020 just as a devastating tornado hit the city and the first case of coronavirus was detected.
Dr. Caldwell previously served for 19 years as the Commissioner of Health for Dutchess County, NY. He is nationally recognized for his work on tobacco control and emergency preparedness as well as vaccine research, development and policy.
Dr. Caldwell is a graduate of Columbia University, an internal medicine physician trained at the Mount Sinai Medical Center with a Masters of Public Health from Harvard, and he completed a Preventive Medicine residency program at State University of New York, Albany.
The Tennessee Department of Health is partnering with the CDC to offer providers Quiztime, a mobile education program to prevent opioid overdose and death. CE credits available.
Why we must recognize racism as a public health threat by NashvilleHealth Board Member Dr. Andrea Willis
Congratulations to Siloam Health on the opening of their new clinic in Antioch.
The Northwest Family YMCA recently received a BlueCross BlueShield Healthy Place Grant to expand its facilities and offerings.
View previous NashvilleHealth E-briefs here.
Find additional COVID-19 response resources and information here.
