To investigate and collect data on inequities disproportionately impacting Black residents in Richmond, Virginia, the city’s council announced it will support the $1.5 million Black Resiliency Project and Fund, according to CC Pulse.

 

On June 17, Richmond city officials unanimously backed the Black Resiliency Project initiative and fund, which will collect baseline data on racial disparities in health, education, housing and employment.

 

The project includes funding for a report titled the “State of Black Richmond” that will investigate inequities experienced by Black residents, develop strategies for improvement and establish a fund for community-based programs.

 

Black Richmond residents are at greater risk of experiencing pregnancy complications and premature birth, chronic disease, asthma and food insecurity, according to the Contra Costa County health report. What’s more, Black residents make up 18% of the general population but 57% of people experiencing homelessness.

 

“When you have a problem that is hitting a population in this way, you focus your efforts, just like in an emergency room,” said council member and project cosponsor Doria Robinson, according to CC Pulse. “It’s not that you don’t serve anybody else, you focus on where the problem is the worst and save that life.”

 

These disparities can be attributed to social determinants of health, such as limited access to health care, barriers to safe housing and neighborhoods, unconscious bias and systemic racism, according to the Contra Costa News. In fact, the “State of Black Richmond” in 2012, the Richmond City Council joined more than 200 other localities across the United States to declare racism a public health crisis.

 

The “State of Black Richmond” report will examine the root causes of Black residents’ negative outcomes across health, health access, education, housing, mental health and more. Additionally, a community advisory committee will be established to oversee the project and propose funding recommendations for culturally relevant community programming.

 

To read more, click #Health Equity or #Virginia. There, you’ll see headlines such as “Drug Overdose Deaths on Rise in Black Americans,” “Black Cancer Death Rates are Decreasing, but Disparities Still Persist” and “Black Americans More Willing to Join Clinical Trials With Diverse Leaders.”