Michigan virtually eliminated racial disparity in deaths caused by COVID-19, will continue work to reduce racial health disparities

Lansing, MI – Lt. Governor Gilchrist and the Michigan COVID-19 Racial Disparities Task Force on Feb 27th, released the Task Force’s final report, detailing efforts by the Task Force to respond to COVID-19 racial disparities, improve access to healthcare in vulnerable communities and communities of color, and save lives. Michigan’s unique approach and aggressive investments helped the state outperform the nation in addressing COVID-19 racial disparities and virtually eliminate the racial disparity in deaths caused by COVID-19. The report includes additional recommendations to build on the Task Force’s work and continue improving health equity in Michigan. 

“When we saw that COVID-19 was uniquely lethal in communities of color in Michigan, Governor Whitmer and I knew we had to act quickly,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, Chair of the Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Task Force. “We responded to these disturbing racial disparities with an innovative approach that put Michiganders first and set a national example for other states and the federal government to follow. We outperformed the nation in addressing racial disparities, saved lives, and collaborated with other states to share what we learned. As someone who lost people in my own life to COVID-19, I am incredibly grateful to the members of the Task Force for their tireless work under pressure and their commitment to Michigan communities. We will keep working hard to build healthy, equitable, prosperous communities where everyone can thrive.” 

Established in April 2020, the Task Force brought together a wide variety of leaders from government, academia, health care, economics, public health, epidemiology, education, the private sector, and other disciplines to address racial health disparities in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. 

From 2020-2022, Michigan’s 14.2 deaths per 10,000 people net improvement outpaced the U.S. net improvement of 8.9 deaths per 10,000. In 2020, Black Michiganders saw COVID-19 death rates of 22.8 per 10,000 people, significantly above the national death rate of 15 per 10,000 in 2020. The Task Force’s work paid off, with COVID-19 death rates for Black Michiganders dropping to 16.2 per 10,000 in 2021 and 8.6 per 10,000 in 2022. Nationwide, Black Americans’ COVID-19 death rates dropped from 15 per 10,000 in 2020 to 14.8 per 10,000 in 2021 and 6.1 per 10,000 in 2022.  A study by the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices found that the Task Force made significant and sustainable progress towards its goal of reducing health-based racial disparities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. These results led to the receipt of the “Meeting the Moment for Public Health Award” from Research America. 

“The members of the Coronavirus Racial Disparities Task Force stepped up for their communities to protect Michiganders and save lives,” said Hon. Thomas Stallworth III, Director of the Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Task Force. “Now, we must build on the progress we’ve made and double down on our efforts to eliminate racial disparities impacting the health of communities across our state.” 

“The creation of the Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Task Force and the recommendations made by this diverse group have been instrumental in the work we do and has informed many of the outreach efforts conducted by the state and our public health partners,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state’s chief medical executive. “The task force’s commitment and dedication to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and improving the lives of people in at-risk communities is inspiring. We look forward to continuing this work as we move forward through the creation of community zones and a neighborhood health grant to strengthen our communities as outlined in the governor’s FY 2024 budget.” 

Under the leadership of Lt. Governor Gilchrist, the Task Force worked to respond to pandemic surges and save lives, setting up community testing, mask distribution, and vaccination sites in high-need areas, improving data collection and analysis, and boosting access to telehealth, health insurance, and mobile health clinics in vulnerable communities. To improve long term outcomes for underrepresented communities and reduce racial disparities in health care access, the Task Force also targeted improved access to health care for Black and Brown children in schools and people with sickle cell disease and reinforced maternal and infant healthcare. 

In her FY 2024 budget proposal Governor Whitmer proposed key investments in evidence-based programs to improve outcomes and build on Task Force recommendations, including: 

• $2 million to evaluate MDHHS departmental policies and procedures through an equity lens. 
• $18.5 million to create a neighborhood health grant program, supporting the community-based health clinics the Task Force established in areas across Michigan with disparity in health access and outcomes. 
• $18.1 million to provide technical assistance supporting local communities as they work to create and implement strategies to boost access to healthy foods, affordable housing, and safety networks. 

• $10 million to expand and improve health related data collection, reporting, and IT infrastructure to understand and address disparities in health access in Michigan. 
• $2.5 million grant to support individuals with sickle cell disease and their families with counseling, support groups, and other assistance. 

 The full report announced on Feb 27th, can be found by clicking here.