Embedded Files
For science.
Long-standing inequities in health care, income, housing, education and many other factors that influence health and well-being have widened during the COVID-19 pandemic. These inequities are largely driven by racism and biases embedded in our systems, institutions, policies and practices. This structural racism results in a lack of access and opportunity, and increased sickness and premature death among communities of color. For example, compared to white women, Black women (across socioeconomic status) are three times more likely to die within one year of childbirth. American Indian/Alaska Native, Black and Hispanic youth graduate high school at rates significantly lower than white youth. In 2019, the median wealth for Black and Hispanic families was about $24,000 and $36,000, respectively, compared to $188,000 for white families. The public health community must address racism as the key driver of poorer health for communities of color and health disparities.
For action.
We must transform our systems and dismantle policies and practices that uphold racism and continue inequities. We must make racial equity central to health equity. Work with your local leaders to enact resolutions, policies and programs that address racism as a public health crisis. Urge your members of Congress to support voting rights and health equity legislation that can help address the health disparities and inequities disproportionately affecting communities of color. Advocate for policies and practices that promote truth telling and racial healing. Apply a racial equity lens to all decisions about policies and programs.
For health.
Racism shapes where and how people live and what resources and opportunities they have. Racism directly affects the physical and mental health of people of color.
Yet the communities most impacted by structural racism are often excluded from processes where decisions are made that directly affect their lives. Meaningful community engagement processes, civic engagement strategies such as participatory budgeting and efforts to promote power sharing and power building with communities can ensure that community priorities are centered in decisionmaking. This can also result in more equitable distribution of power and resources, which, when coupled with explicit health equity goals, can improve people's health and well-being.
Where you are.
Racism harms us all. While people of color experience more direct negative consequences on their health and wellness due to racism, the inequity driven by racism affects society as a whole. A 2020 estimate found that closing racial gaps in income, wealth and education could add $5 trillion to the U.S. economy over the next five years. Ensuring schools are integrated by race and social economic status improves educational attainment for low-income students, and long-term racial relations and social cohesion for all students. Further, by naming and addressing racism and advancing racial equity, we can also address other areas of marginalization, including ability, gender, sexual orientation and age. We can combat climate change and other environmental health challenges, and their disproportionate impact on front-line communities and communities of color.
Featured Presentations
Featured Presentations
Why Are Our Babies Dying? Pregnancy, Birth, and Death in America
Dr. Kathleen Walker & Dr. Sandra Lane
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Smyth 383
Join via Zoom (Meeting ID: 835 1747 2253 | PW: nazpbh)
Drs. Sandra Lane and Kathleen Walker will present their research into the causes of high infant mortality rates in Syracuse, NY. They will discuss their research methods, findings, and the CDC recommendations based on this investigation.
Disparities in the Urban Tree Canopy and Why They Matter
Justin Murphy
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Peckham 306
Join via Zoom (Meeting ID: 893 0211 7975 | PW: nazpbh) | Watch recording
Justin Murphy will share his research on urban tree canopy and how it relates to the health and well-being of communities in Rochester, NY.
Justin Murphy covers education in the Rochester area, with an emphasis on the Rochester City School District. He has worked at the Democrat and Chronicle since 2012 and before that was a reporter for The Citizen in Auburn, New York. He grew up in Penfield and attended the University of Chicago and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. His latest book, Your Children Are Very Greatly in Danger, on the history of school segregation in Rochester published by Cornell University Press is now available.
Public Health Grads Collaborate for Community Resilience
Public Health Alum
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Peckham 302
Join via Zoom (Meeting ID: 849 0306 4402 | PW: nazpbh)
Graduates of the Public Health program will share their experiences and advice for exploring future career directions and the opportunities available to individuals with public health training.
Social Determinants, Human Trafficking, and Health Implications
Dr. Celia McIntosh, DNP, RN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, SCRN, CEN, CNRN
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Shults Forum
Join via Zoom (Meeting ID: 820 6361 0290 | PW: nazpbh) | Watch recording
Dr. McIntosh will describe the connections among social determinants of health, human trafficking, and physical and mental health.
Dr. Celia McIntosh DNP, RN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, SCRN, CEN, CNRN, is the Chair of the Rochester Regional Coalition Against Human Trafficking (RRCAHT). She joined RRCAHT in 2014 after learning about the horrific crime of human trafficking for the first time at an awareness event at Rochester General Hospital.
Since becoming president in 2016, Celia has been instrumental in helping RRCAHT move forward as a legitimate Coalition within the Greater Rochester community. Under Celia’s leadership, the Coalition implemented a “Yes, Here” campaign that included bus graphics, bus shelter posters, digital monitors in the Transit Center, and posters highlighting labor, domestic, sex, and child trafficking. Celia spoke about “The Misconceptions and Realities Surrounding Human Trafficking in Rochester” on Evan Dawson’s Connections radio broadcast. She has also spoken about trafficking to churches (e.g. Genesee Baptist Church Family Health Forum and the Park Presbyterian Church) and community groups (e.g. Seneca Falls Rotary, Rochester NOW, and RIT’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute).
Celia combines her medical training with her commitment to raising awareness about trafficking victims through the development of educational programs for Health Care Professionals. She presented “Human Trafficking 101: For Emergency Medicine Providers” at Rochester General Hospital’s Best Practices Seminar, the Genesee Valley Chapter Emergency Nurses Association, and URMC Anti-Human Trafficking Conference. Most recently, she presented the “Human Trafficking: The Role of the Health Care Provider” at the Genesee Valley Nurses Association 35th Legislative Reception and the Highland OB-GYN City Grand Rounds.
Professionally, Celia has worked as a nurse for a number of organizations, including the Rochester General Hospital and Highland Hospital. She has worked as a family nurse practitioner in the Department of Neuroscience and the Medical Observational Unit Rochester Regional Health System.
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