This article was written by Kate Schroder, president and CEO of Interact for Health.
I was thrilled to join Interact for Health in January of this year as President and CEO. The private nonprofit foundation works to improve health outcomes and health equity—passions of mine throughout my career—for people in 20 counties around Cincinnati, including Bracken, Boone, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant and Pendleton counties in Northern Kentucky.
Our region is home to many leading health care systems, but some people in our community do not have the same opportunities to be as healthy as others. Some have nowhere close to buy healthy food; housing that’s crumbling, moldy or unsafe; or no easy way to visit a health care provider’s office.
These challenges persist particularly for people of color, those with lower incomes and those who live in rural areas. They have experienced these health disparities for many years, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made the inequities even more stark. However, the cooperation shown by our community to address the pandemic offers hope that we can come together to tackle our most significant health challenges and disparities.
Disparities laid bare; community steps up
Regional data show how COVID-19 mirrors longstanding health disparities. Between July 2021 and April 20, 2022, cases of COVID-19 were 9% higher among Black people compared with white people. The disparities were even greater in the death rate (23% higher among Black people) and the hospitalization rate (44% higher).
Rural communities were also disproportionately affected. In 2020, rural counties in our region reported an average of 82 deaths per 100,000 due to COVID-19. That compares with an average of 69 deaths per 100,000 in urban and suburban counties in the region.
It was encouraging to see efforts emerge across Northern Kentucky to address these disparities—and Interact for Health was pleased to support those efforts.
In late 2020, children returned to school to learn in-person, but masks were required. For some families with lower incomes, buying quality masks just wasn’t possible. Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman developed “Coverings for Kids” so that schools could get protective masks at no cost. Locally, when Campbell County Public Library worked to provide masks to children in six school districts in Campbell County, Interact for Health donated 22,000 masks to assist in the effort.
The isolation that the pandemic imposed took a toll on people’s mental health. The “Rock the Block” celebration hosted by the Bracken County health department and school district provided a fun, free way for families to spend time together as the summer of 2021 wound down, as well as a chance to get vaccinated. More than 1,000 people attended.
Health care services continued during the pandemic, but providers had to adapt. Transitions, a substance use treatment provider based in Kenton County, partnered with Ruwe Pharmacy to offer COVID-19 vaccinations on-site to its clients and staff. Seventy-four people were vaccinated because of this partnership.
Tobacco work shows cooperation
While the scale at which our region has mobilized to address the COVID-19 pandemic may be unprecedented, our community has collaborated on other health issues before.
Tobacco use is a significant problem facing Northern Kentucky. According to the Greater Cincinnati Adult Tobacco Survey, the percentage of adults in Northern Kentucky who currently smoke (24%) continues to be higher than Greater Cincinnati (19%) and the nation (14%). What’s more, the disparities seen in other health issues such as COVID-19 are also seen in tobacco use. The survey found that 32% of adults in rural Kentucky counties smoke, and more than half of adults living in poverty (51%) and a third of those living just above the poverty level (34%) currently smoke.
To address tobacco use in Northern Kentucky, partners in the BUILD Health Challenge focused on smoking cessation, providing free nicotine replacement therapy to people living in Covington and Gallatin County. Using data from St. Elizabeth Healthcare and the Northern Kentucky Health Department, partners also identified neighborhoods that had a higher burden of tobacco use. Finally, an educational campaign highlighted the costs of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke. Between 2018 and 2020, the project distributed more than 1,200 smoking cessation kits and was responsible for 8% of people who reported smoking in Covington and 16% in Gallatin County reporting that they’d attempted to quit. Other partners in the initiative included the Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance, Interact for Health, Three Rivers District Health Department and The Center for Great Neighborhoods.
Efforts must continue
The Greater Cincinnati community has shown that we can work together on health issues, even one as large as the COVID-19 pandemic. Now we must take what we’ve learned and use that knowledge to address the health disparities that persist in our region.
The recently released 2021 Regional Community Health Needs Assessment provides a roadmap for progress. More than 10,000 individuals and organizations participated in the survey, which asked respondents what is working currently around health in the region and what could be better. Not surprisingly, the report found that differences in health outcomes are most common among people of color and those with less education, lower incomes or with no or insufficient health insurance. Partners identified cardiovascular, behavioral and maternal health as some of the most pressing health needs in the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton regions. The assessment also identified investment in workforce pipeline and diversity and health-related social needs such as housing and food as top priorities.
We know what is wrong. And we know one program or organization cannot create the widespread change needed. It will take all of us – working together.
We need to come together under one common health agenda. One that focuses on collaboration, measurement and enables us to align the right resources.
Growing up, my grandma used to remind me of the words of Mr. Rogers: “Be one of the helpers.” I’m excited to join my Interact for Health colleagues and community partners in helping our region build back stronger after the pandemic. Together we can create a healthier community where every person – no matter their race, ethnicity, economic status or ZIP code – can not only survive but thrive.
