The Health Disparity Task Force will focus on collecting the proper data and providing access to COVID-19 testing. Wolf also mandated all Pennsylvania COVID-19 health care providers and medical facilities to record race and ethnicity information.
“The goal for this task force is to help communicate issues with how the pandemic is affecting the state’s minority and vulnerable populations,” Wolf said in a statement.
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African-American and other minority communities are being hit the hardest by COVID-19, but all the evidence is anecdotal. Race data was not recorded for 69% of state cases, and there’s barely any data when it comes to ethnicity.
But the new task force aims to change that.
“We need to get more medical professionals collecting and reporting race data about their patients,” Wolf continued. “We also need to make sure our vulnerable populations have equal access to testing.”
The task force will also ensure people can get tests, even without a relationship with a doctor or access to a car. It will also ensure the testing sites are located in areas more accessible to hard-to-reach communities.