Secretary Machelle Sanders of the North Carolina Department of Administration talks with host Stephanie Carson about the health inequities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sanders is the chair of the Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental, and Health Equity Task Force.
Sanders talks about why the task force was created this summer by Gov. Roy Cooper and specifically the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color.
The Task Force, established by the Governor’s Executive Order 143, will address the social, environmental, economic and health disparities in communities of color that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first meeting is anticipated in early August.
“Inequities in North Carolina are not new, but COVID-19 is shining a bright light on disparities that have gone unchecked in our health care and economic institutions for communities of color,” Cooper said.
“This task force is the right way to address these inequities as we recover from the pandemic so that as we come back from this, we improve access to affordable healthcare and quality economic opportunities.”
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