Pandemic is hitting Black, Latino Americans 2-3 times harder than white Americans
Latino and Black people, women and people with low incomes are also at greater risk of suffering mental health issues.
Mental health and economic challenges from COVID-19 are taking a greater toll on Black and Latino Americans than on whites, according to a new survey from the Commonwealth Fund.
Latino and Black people, women and people with low incomes are most at risk of mental health concerns because of the pandemic, the report said. While many Americans are experiencing mental health problems from COVID-19, some groups are experiencing stress, anxiety or great sadness over the pandemic at higher rates.
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According to the Commonwealth Fund, 39% of women are experiencing such problems. compared to 26% of men; 40% of Latinos and 39% of Black people have such problems, compared to 29% of white people. And 44% of people with lower incomes have mental health problems due to the pandemic, compared to 26% of people with higher income, the report states.
In addition, Latino and Black adults have experienced economic hardship during COVID-19 at a rate between two and three times greater than white adults. More than half of Latino survey responders and nearly half of Black responders said they have struggled economically, and were unable to pay for basic necessities, used up all their savings, or borrowed money. Only 21% of white responders reported the same.
David Blumenthal, president of the Commonwealth Fund, said the survey “highlights deep disparities in our country and failures in our health care system that we can no longer accept.”
In addition to our health care system, the report also noted issues in COVID-related relief packages, such as the difficulty many Black-owned businesses had in accessing PPP loans and the lack of specific action targeting underserved communities in relief packages.
“Persistent wealth gaps, inadequate access to health care, poor living conditions, and unsafe work environments are just a few of the root causes for why this pandemic has affected people of color disproportionately,” Blumenthal added. “Of course, getting the pandemic under control is critical, but we also have to dismantle the racist policies and practices that have led us here.”
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