Newswise — There is nothing like a pandemic to stop you in your tracks. When I was a student at a hospital-affiliated nursing school in the early 1960s, I learned about pandemics and basically understood the science. When I was the director of health promotion at Roche in 2003, I was a member of the Pandemic Planning Team and given the prospects that there would potentially be work interruption and employee impact from SARS. Yet, studying about and planning for the impact of a pandemic pales in comparison to living through one as a public health professional.
The pandemic wasn’t the only force that changed my world (and so many others’) in 2020. The United States was also swept by powerful movements for social justice, particularly Black Lives Matter. Meanwhile, the forces of climate change reared their heads in intense and frightening ways. Together, this perfect storm of events permanently changed how I view my role in society. And it inspired me to create positive change.
Taking Notice
Like anyone reading this, I remember when the story of COVID-19 began dominating the news. There were reports of the presumed origins, and “lockdowns” were emerging as the central strategy for mitigating the spread of the virus. The news urged us to stock up at the grocery store, obtain the recommended over-the-counter medications, and remember the necessary cleaning and sanitizing supplies (presuming you could find them at the grocery store). Surely, I could do that!
But on Friday, March 13, 2020, at 3:30 p.m., as I was driving to my home, I experienced a flashbulb moment while listening to the radio. Broadway Theater, the iconic cultural hub, was going dark for the first time since the beginning of WWII.
Somehow, for me, that announcement got my attention. It emphasized the critical nature of what we as individuals and a nation were facing. But it was only the beginning. Over a period of months, more and more issues converged that prompted national conversations.
A Watershed Moment
For a moment, let me digress. My background is in nursing, having graduated from a three-year nursing program in 1962. I worked in numerous clinical settings for 20 years before transitioning to occupational health as a nursing supervisor at AT&T. It was then that a wise manager advised me that if I wanted to advance in the company, I needed a master’s degree. Okay, I thought, I can do that! There was just one issue: I needed a bachelor’s degree first. So, I began a distance learning program (pre-Zoom and virtual learning) at St. Joseph’s College, allowing me to qualify for graduate school. In September of 1984, I began classes at what was then the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Graduate Program of Public Health (now the Rutgers School of Public Health). I continued to work at AT&T and later Roche Pharmaceuticals as the director of health promotion and health education until I left the workforce in 2014.
During all those years, I can’t recallaperiodwhen Ifeltasoverwhelmed bythedaily news cycle as I have in 2020 and 2021.Theconvergence of the pandemic, social justice movements, and climate disastersgaveme pause.
Like so many Americans, I came to realize that I never truly examined the impact of racial and social injustice, health disparities, and poverty. I took in the unfolding events like waves rolling onto the shore: the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement, the numerous fires due to climate change, the ravages of our environment manifested as poor water and air quality… all of these issues were front and center, and all of them were exacerbated by the pandemic in some way.
These are serious and disheartening issues. But through many conversations with my three grandchildren—ages 24, 22, and 19—I found a very bright light. They cared about addressing and eliminating racial and social injustice and they were actively taking measures to save the planet. They taught me that if you care, you act!
The Intertwining Challenges Before Us
My desire to act found inspiration at Rutgers School of Public Health. Long a financial supporter of the school, I was motivated to continue that support. I was also interested in identifying ways I could advocate for and mentor students that would promote diversity within the community of public health practitioners.
The breadth and depth of that need is tremendous. The COVID-19 pandemic and concurring climate crisis illuminate the myriad health disparities that have long plagued many marginalized communities in the United States.
Data from the National Institute of Health and National Cancer Institute found COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Latinx populations. People of color are experiencing more COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths while also facing increased barriers to testing and care.
COVID-19 isn’t unique. For example, Black women in New Jersey have one of the highest rates of maternal death in the country. Cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS, obesity, and other chronic illnesses follow similar patterns in New Jersey and across the country, with communities of color experiencing disproportionate rates of illness and death.
Research consistently finds that people of color are also disproportionately impacted by environmental destruction and climate change, with major health consequences. Hazardous waste sites are nearly always situated near low-income communities and communities of color, and these communities are disproportionately affected by air and water pollution. Together, these factors mean people of color are more likely than white people to die of environmental causes. When natural disasters hit, these people and populations are more vulnerable, more likely to suffer devastating effects, and less likely to receive government aid than white and wealthy communities.
From COVID-19 to climate crises, racial injustice exacerbates the health challenges now faced by individuals and populations. It is essential for public health policies to recognize these overlapping forces and take steps to improve care for every individual and population in this country.
Toward a More Just World: How I’m Choosing to Act
Just as a nuanced understanding of public health underscores the many issues before us, it also points the way toward solutions.
The public health community—working in concert with policy makers, the medical community, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations—can forge a new era for the health of our nation and the myriad individuals who live here.
This is why I’m so excited about the Rutgers School of Public Health’s Advancing Urban Public Health initiative, which is aspiring to create a community-centered urban public health hub to alleviate health inequities. The project seeks to change the way we solve today’s health crises by shifting our focus from an overemphasis on a biomedical approach to a biopsychosocial understanding of prevention and care—one that is informed by social justice and health equity, focusing on the interconnections between biomedical, behavioral, psychological, and socio-environmental factors. This model will train the current and future public health workforce, develop, and implement innovative approaches to prevention and care, and expand community-engaged scholarship—modeling initiatives that can be replicated across the state and the nation. These efforts give me hope.
As I write this, it is September 11. While we reflect on the 20 years since that tragic day, we might ask: What will we say 20 years from now about this pandemic? Did we positively impact those health disparities, unsafe living environments, water, and air quality? Are we good stewards of this land, thereby supporting its health and ours? Is our public health community as diverse as it needs to be, is it reaching the broad swath of those in need, and does it stand in good stead with diverse populations?
While 2020 and 2021 have highlighted the dire challenges we face as a nation, I remain confident the post-mortem can be positive if we all do our part. I am certainly committed to doing mine.
Your own participation can take so many forms. Donate! Advocate! Mentor! Lobby! Together, we can do this.
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