Structural racism is a driver of health disparities says the American Heart Association

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    Nashville, TN (WSMV) — The pandemic and rise in unemployment truly shows several disparities within our communities.

“I practice good hygiene and behavioral things, but still, after I did that, I still contracted COVID,” Nashville native Floyd Hughes said.

Floyd Hughes has seen his fair share of medical issues. He’s had open heart surgery and is a diabetic. Then this year, he battled COVID-19.

“When I got sick, I didn’t know how it was gonna affect me. I started thinking about ventilators. I started thinking about death,” Hughes said.

He kept his faith and made it his mission to get better.

“You know, I’m a big believer and I trust in God. And I believe that the Lord will take care of us, but he also gives us knowledge and sense,” Hughes said.

Thousands of Black and Brown men and women are in Hughes’s boat, dealing with the stress of the pandemic, while also facing an even higher obstacle.

This month, the American Heart Association released a new advisory, declaring structural racism as a cause of poor health and premature death from heart disease and stroke.

The study found that while overall death rates from heart disease and stroke declined over the past two decades, these gains were not shared among Black, Asian American and the Hispanic-Latino communities.

“Personal attitudes, policies practices–whether it means institutional practices or policies–whether it means federal government practices or policies…over a period of time that’s led to differences in healthcare–or differences in racial inequities for people of Brown or Black skin,” Dr. Andre Churchwell, Professor for Medicine and Cardiology at Vanderbilt University said.

The advisory found:

Black Americans continue to experience the highest death rates due to heart disease and stroke.
Black Americans experience a nearly 30% higher death rate from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and a 45% higher death rate from stroke compared with non-Hispanic white Americans.
Black and Hispanic/Latino patients experience significantly lower survival to hospital discharge than white patients even when controlling for socioeconomic status.
The new Presidential Advisory highlights three key points:

Structural racism is a current and pervasive problem, influenced by history and not merely an issue of the past.
Structural racism is real and produces adverse effects, whether it is blatant to others or perceived only or primarily by those impacted.
The task of dismantling the impact of structural racism on economic, social and health inequities is a shared responsibility that must belong to all of society.
Dr. Churchwell says it’s noticeable right here in Nashville.

“Almost 50 percent of our African Americans here in Nashville reported having hypertension, where about 27 percent of comparable groups of Whites have hypertension. We’re more obese. African Americans are more obese than our White counterparts, which have unfortunate negative downstream health effects, such as Type 2 Diabetes,” Dr. Churchwell said.

So, what can be done? Chruchwell says awareness by everyone in the medical community is crucial. Availability to resources and healthy foods is also needed in Black and Brown communities.

“And probably early treatment. Early prevention. Preventative measures,” Dr. Churchwell said.

Watching your diet and having better access to healthier foods is a great start.

For Hughes, that’s a goal he’s trying to reach now that he’s out of the hospital, he hopes to keep living and thriving long after the pandemic passes.

“I know people who practiced good hygiene, behavior and they still contracted it. I know people that have died that’ve had underlying conditions and so certainly you know, it can get you,” Hughes said.

Mr. Hughes says he’s known at least 8 or 9 people who’ve had underlying health issues that have died from COVID-19.

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