Open AccessIncorporating Health Equity Into COVID-19 Reopening Plans: Policy Experimentation in California
Author(s) -
Emily A. Largent,
Govind Persad,
Michelle M. Mello,
Danielle M. Wenner,
Daniel B. Kramer,
Brownsyne Tucker Edmonds,
Monica E. Peek
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2021.306263
Subject(s) - equity (law) , health equity , disadvantaged , blueprint , covid-19 , business , public economics , actuarial science , political science , economic growth , medicine , economics , health care , engineering , law , mechanical engineering , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty)
California has focused on health equity in the state's COVID-19 reopening plan. The Blueprint for a Safer Economy assigns each of California's 58 counties into 1 of 4 tiers based on 2 metrics: test positivity rate and adjusted case rate. To advance to the next less-restrictive tier, counties must meet that tier's test positivity and adjusted case rate thresholds. In addition, counties must have a plan for targeted investments within disadvantaged communities, and counties with more than 106 000 residents must meet an equity metric. California's explicit incorporation of health equity into its reopening plan underscores the interrelated fate of its residents during the COVID-19 pandemic and creates incentives for action. This article evaluates the benefits and challenges of this novel health equity focus, and outlines recommendations for other US states to address disparities in their reopening plans.