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From COVID-19 to cancer, watching social determinants decide life: When will we stop spectating?
Erhunmwunsee, Loretta; Seewaldt, Victoria L; Rebbeck, Timothy R; Winn, Robert A.
  • Erhunmwunsee L; Department of Surgery, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1500 E Duarte Rd, Duarte CA 91010, United States; Department of Population Sciences, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, United States. Electronic address: LorettaE@coh.org.
  • Seewaldt VL; Department of Population Sciences, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, United States.
  • Rebbeck TR; Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States.
  • Winn RA; Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States.
J Natl Med Assoc ; 113(4): 436-439, 2021 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1129083
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us that African American, Latinx, Indigenous, and poor communities face significant healthcare disparities. Members of these communities have increased exposure to the virus due to higher rates of crowded living conditions and employment in essential occupations. Furthermore, news reports and public health data show that residents of these communities have more comorbidities, utilize hospitals with fewer resources, and experience greater treatment delays, all resulting in higher mortality related to COVID-19. The same social determinants contributing to the inequities seen in COVID-19 drive similar disparities in oncology. Oncologic inequities have long predated the inequities associated with COVID-19 and have led to considerably more deaths. These stark realities demand that we stop merely reporting the impact of adverse social determinants on the health of communities. We must instead target these causes of healthcare disparities. Here, we discuss proposed action items from the 2019 National Cancer Policy Forum workshop entitled "Applying Big Data to Address the Social Determinants of Health in Oncology." These actions are critical first steps to address adverse social determinants and thereby decrease unnecessary deaths in underserved communities.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Health Status Disparities / Healthcare Disparities / Social Determinants of Health / COVID-19 / Neoplasms Limits: Humans Language: English Journal: J Natl Med Assoc Year: 2021 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Health Status Disparities / Healthcare Disparities / Social Determinants of Health / COVID-19 / Neoplasms Limits: Humans Language: English Journal: J Natl Med Assoc Year: 2021 Document Type: Article