The San Diego County COVID-19 Equity Task Force
The San Diego County COVID-19 Equity Task Force, as established and coordinated by MHF, is an innovative volunteer community-based coalition of stakeholders organized to discuss, advocate, and help implement policies and strategies to address the disproportionate negative impact the Coronavirus disease is inflicting on the diverse and vulnerable populations in the San Diego community. Local respected African Americans/Black physicians, Dr. Rodney Hood, Dr. Robert Gillespie, and Dr. Suzanne Afflalo, who have either long-standing medical practices, strong and trusted professional and personal relationships and/or unmatched understanding of the health and social economic challenges in the African Americans/Black community, are the founding members of this collaborative Task Force. The Task Force was established in March 2020 and operates from an equity lens with an emphasis on education and outreach, data, and the 3Ts: testing, tracing, and treatment.
The Task Force’s initial goals are as follows:
- Establish drive-through and walk-up long-term test sites in Southeastern San Diego and other high impact communities.
- Create and amplify culturally sensitive educational and outreach strategies delivered through trusted messengers.
- Advise local and statewide elected officials and government on equitable polices for testing, tracing, treatment, and outreach and education in Southeastern San Diego and other impacted communities.
- Improve the accuracy and collection of demographic data for racial and ethnic populations including disaggregated data for the various Asian, Filipino, Pacific Islanders, and Middle Eastern populations with emphasis on distribution and access to testing, tracing, treatment, and resources.
- Ensure that the testing, tracing, and treatment workforce is diverse and reflective of the population.
Task Force member organizations are: Alliance Healthcare Foundation, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity SD Chapter, Alpha Pi Boule Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Black Men & Women United, Black American Political Association, City of Imperial Beach, City of San Diego, Change Begins with ME, Christie’s Place, Citizens Advisory Board on Police Community Relations, County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency, County of San Diego District Attorney’s Office, Euclid Medical Center, Faith Based Action Coalition of San Diego, Family Health Centers, Healthcare Sector County of San Diego COVID-19 Response, Hip Hop 5K, I Am My Brother’s Keeper, Invest in San Diego Families, Jacobs Family Foundation, NAACP, National Arab American Medical Association, National Medical Association, Neighborhood House Association, Pastors On Point, Pathing Great Futures, San Diego County Medical Society, San Diego /Imperial County Alzheimer’s Association, San Diego Legal Aid Society, San Diego Black Nurses Association, San Diego State University Institute of Public Health & School of Public Health, San Ysidro Health Center, Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute, State of California, The Rock Church, Twin Cities Health Services, University of California San Diego Medical School, United African Americans/Black Ministerial Alliance, Voice and Viewpoint, and Zeta Sigma Lambda SD Chapter.