AHA, ANA, AMA urge focus on equity in COVID-19 relief bill

The next federal COVID-19 relief package must prioritize measures supporting ethnic minority and marginalized communities—groups disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Writing on behalf of the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the American Medical Association (AMA), three CEOs urged Senate leaders to take “a robust, targeted approach that will increase the availability of testing, ensure access to equitable treatment, disseminate timely, relevant, culturally appropriate and culturally responsive public health information, and address the social determinants and root causes of health, including structural racism.” Better data collection, support for minority-serving educational institutions and access to private health insurance were among the letter’s other requests. (Joint letter, 7/17/20)