Addressing Community Inequities During COVID-19 Recovery

As Massachusetts, and the United States in general, work to recover from the disruption created by the COVID-19 crisis, we need to begin to turn to the long-term impacts of changing social practices and economic harm. The harsh reality of COVID is that it has disproportionately impacted underserved communities throughout the Commonwealth, and without concerted effort on the part of policy and healthcare workers, those impacts may continue to grow over the coming months and years. In particular, food insecurity and healthcare access must become focal points of successful, long-term recovery plans. As a result of the economic harm created by COVID, currently one in five individuals and one in eight children in Massachusetts are unable to secure three square meals a day. In addition, healthcare facilities remain overburdened, and vulnerable individuals continue to struggle to gain access to testing and proper medical care.

As part of the Hunger to Health Collaboratory, the Museum of Science has convened a panel of experts to discuss COVID in our communities. WGBH’s host of Innovation Hub Kara Miller will moderate a discussion with Catherine D’Amato, President and CEO of the Greater Boston Food Bank, Dr. Holly Oh, Chief Medical Director at the Dimock Health Center, and Marty Martinez, Chief of the Mayor’s Office of Health and Human Services for the city of Boston. They will discuss concerns surrounding food insecurity, healthcare access, and other issues that will arise in our most vulnerable neighborhoods while living in COVID times.