The president of the historically Black Meharry Medical College said on Wednesday that a consortium of the nation’s four Black medical schools would be the group best prepared to tackle the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black people and communities of color.
In testimony on Wednesday, before a virtual convening of the House Ways and Means Committee, Meharry’s president and CEO, Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, said the consortium, led by Meharry, is uniquely qualified to address the healthcare needs of people of color during the current pandemic, which has claimed at least 20,399 Black lives in the country to date.
On the day the Committee heard from Hildreth and other witnesses about the outsized impact the coronavirus outbreak is having on some of the country’s most vulnerable groups, the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. surpassed 100,000. By May 20, nearly 23% of reported COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. were African American although they make up 13% of the population, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control.
In addition to the Nashville, Tennessee-based Meharry, Hildreth said the proposed consortium would include, Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C.; Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia; and Charles R. Drew Medical School in Los Angeles, California. These colleges, he said, are not only well qualified but can provide a culturally sensitive response and begin to address the pandemic’s long-term impact.
“We can deploy quickly, we know where to go, and we will be welcomed,” said Hildreth. The consortium’s work, he said, would include expanding COVID-19 testing and testing sites, conducting contact tracing and providing health care services in neighborhoods where mistrust of healthcare systems and government officials is high.
Hildreth also called on Congress to invest $5 billion over five years to help this higher education consortium combat the virus’s uneven impact on communities and people of color.
“Crucially, Meharry and Meharrians are trusted in the communities we serve, which have a history of abuse at the hands of America’s medical establishment,” said Hildreth. “We understand the subtle, yet critical cultural differences that have long been overlooked by mainstream providers, creating deep fear and distrust. The same is true for our sister HBCU medical schools.”
