WIS recently covered the joint data brief between IMPH and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), which examines the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black communities by region throughout South Carolina:

The African American community in South Carolina is being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, and the South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health broke down the numbers.

This week, the institute published a data brief laying out the disproportionate rate at which the Black community is being hospitalized and dying across the state due to COVID-19.
The brief is largely informed by South Caroline Department of Health and Environmental Control data.

Sisters of Charity Research and Policy Director Chynna Phillips commended the IMPH publication and said the statistics do not exist in a vacuum. Phillips said that improving the health of minority communities would help move the entire state in a healthier direction.

In order to do that, she said racial inequities would need to be addressed. “When talking about transportation issues, housing issues, all of that and how that plays in the health of the community, this is an opportunity to really make sure our leaders are connected with the communities themselves,” she said.

Phillips said she encourages the public to vote, donate their time and effort to charities in the community, and be cognizant of personal biases to help address the issues.

Read the full story by Chris Joseph here.