Racism Is A Public Health Crisis That Needs Immediate Action, Linn County Board Of Health Declares

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Linn County Board of Health called for “immediate action to address racism as a public health crisis” in a position statement released Thursday.The statement calls for building ties between local governments and communities of color, for the establishment of an Office of Minority Health at Linn County Public Health, and for incorporating implicit bias training, inclusion and equity into organizational practice.The statement — signed by board members Mary Tarbox, Leslie Wright, James Levett, Stacey Walker and Karl Cassell — cites 100 studies linking racism to worse health outcomes for people of color.“While management of the current COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing challenge, we are greatly concerned about the unjust loss of Black lives in recent weeks,” the statement reads.