Racism is a Public Health Crisis 2 – The Institute for Healing Justice and Equity

More than 300 localities have begun to address racism and its health impacts by recognizing racism as a public health crisis (PHCR). Local governments have responded to the RPHC through various measures such as declarations, proclamations, resolutions, declarations, pledges, decrees, etc. Released in September 2020, the first Institute for Healing Justice & Equity (IHJE) report titled Racism is a Public Health Crisis. Here’s How to Respond., defined the system of racism, analyzed racism in the context of the Social Determinants of Health (DSDS) framework, explained why the RPHC, and provided recommendations for responding to the RPHC. Building on the first IHJE report, this report discusses:

• Impacts of racism on health;
• Local government responses; And
• Recommendations for responding to the RPHC.

Racism is a social system that “determines how opportunities are structured, which unfairly disadvantage certain racial and ethnic minority individuals and communities; unfairly advantage white individuals and communities; and undermines the strength of the whole society through the waste of human resources. Life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal mortality, and disease burden are typical measures used to determine the health of one group relative to other groups. Compared to citizens of other industrialized countries, such as the United Kingdom, all racial and ethnic groups in the United States suffer from disparities in life expectancy, infant mortality, mortality of pregnant women, and burden of disease. These disparities are largely due to racism.

As of December 2021, the IHJE found 313 unique localities (e.g., towns, cities, townships, boroughs, cities, counties, and the District of Columbia) that responded to the RPHC. The IHJE also found that 16 state government entities responded to the RPHC. Even if a locality has responded to the RPHC, dismantling racism is a long-term endeavor that requires consistent action. Thus, IHJE recommends that localities responding to the RPHC:

• Identify racism as a system;
• Embrace truth, reconciliation and healing processes;
• Center racial equity in all operations;
• Implement policies and procedures for inclusive economic growth; And
• Collect community-specific data and evaluate it consistently.

As localities continue to respond to and process RPHCs, the IHJE will continue to track and analyze this information. In future reports, the IHJE will discuss the work of community organizations (nonprofits, churches, hospitals, affinity groups, associations, etc.) that often initiate and contribute to these local government responses.