The social workers we have talked to tell us that addressing the social determinants that affect the health of the most vulnerable populations is a research point-of-departure. They submit that the impact of so-called Social Determinants of Health on outcomes can’t be overstated.
In trying to understand the capricious nature of the current corona virus pandemic, they reference two diverse sub-cultural groups that have suffered disproportionately worse outcomes of the pandemic, African Americans in large eastern cities and the Navajo Nation in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. By isolating the factors that separate these cultural groups from their neighboring populations, social workers are trying to determine how the social determinants of health fuel this deadly contagion.
The conditions in which we live explain, in part, why some Americans are healthier than others and why Americans more generally are not as healthy as they could be. This is the fundamental premise behind the concept of social determinants of health.
Research into the impact of socioeconomic factors and cultural predispositions on the health of sub-cultural populations has been going on for many years. The findings break down into the following areas of impact:
Social workers are looking at the covid-19 pandemic through the lens of the factors above to isolate those that contributed to the unusually high incidence of infection and death in the African American community and the Navajo Nation.
The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the African American community is principally explained by three factors:
Like African Americans, Navajos are suffering a disproportionately high rate of coronavirus fatalities, twice the national per capita rate, according to Navajo Department of Health data. COVID-19 fatalities on the reservation last week overtook those recorded in the entire state of New Mexico, according to health authority figures.
Preliminary analysis by the social work community reveal the following SDOH on the Navajo reservation:
Only a Start
These findings are only a start. Social service professionals are working tirelessly to support vulnerable populations during this time of crisis and will continue the work of education and support long after the lights have gone out on this current pandemic.