COVID-19 Vaccine rollout shows the disparity in vaccine sites

[Paulos23]

As is there is none in southern black and Hispanic neighborhoods. And why is there not? Because the medical infrastructure is in the southern rich white neighborhoods.

Across The South, COVID-19 Vaccine Sites Missing From Black And Hispanic Neighborhoods

This is what systemic and institutional racism looks like. This is what we need to overcome.

 

[ReesePiece23]

As it is, the US should be stocked up enough to allow for surplus supplies to be shipped to poorer countries. If you're having problems on the inside already then it's not looking particularity good.

I think everyone needs to come together and get it together. For the sake of the world now.

 

[Sparagmos]

As is there is none in southern black and Hispanic neighborhoods. And why is there not? Because the medical infrastructure is in the southern rich white neighborhoods.

Across The South, COVID-19 Vaccine Sites Missing From Black And Hispanic Neighborhoods

This is what systemic and institutional racism looks like. This is what we need to overcome.

This is a really helpful example for those wondering what we mean by systemic racism.

It’s really sad because these are the communities being ravaged by COVID, because so many people of color work in environments that expose them to COVID.

 

[tall73]

This is a really helpful example for those wondering what we mean by systemic racism.

It’s really sad because these are the communities being ravaged by COVID, because so many people of color work in environments that expose them to COVID.

And yet, I think these same disparities exist in poor neighborhoods even in areas where minorities are few. And while these neighborhoods discussed in the article are majority minority neighborhoods, poor whites who live in the same neighborhood face similar difficulty.

Minorities are impacted to a greater degree because they have a larger population share who live in poverty. Certainly race played a role in how that played out historically.

However, in addressing the problem of hospitals and health care workers being centered in areas economically designed to support such services, you have to figure out how to make that work regardless of the racial make up of the neighborhood.

Have hospitals avoided these areas because they have minorities, or because they have no financial resources? I suspect the latter. I also suspect in well to do neighborhoods that also have high minority populations, they have hospitals.
So is it systemically classist, more than just racist?

The article does mention some specific instances in the past where communities were denied health care facilities because of their racial makeup. However, even there I think we are at the point where if there was money to be made the hopsitals, Walgreens, etc. would have long ago moved into those neighborhoods as well.

The larger question is how to bring health care to poor neighborhoods in a system based on profit? The poor often don't have insurance, and don't have money to pay the large deductible even when they do have it. So they are not lucrative locations.

 

[Paulos23]

The larger question is how to bring health care to poor neighborhoods in a system based on profit?

Maybe we should take the profit out of it.

 

[tall73]

Maybe we should take the profit out of it.

I would support that. And I think a large number of Americans generally would. However, the political class on both sides of the aisle seems far less supportive.