Representative Lee and Senator Warren Applaud White House Effort to Advance Equity in National COVID-19 Strategy
Washington, D.C.– Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) issued the following joint statement applauding the equity provisions included in President Biden's national strategy to address COVID-19:
“As we continue to fight a deadly pandemic that has taken over 400,000 lives, communities of color and medically underserved communities continue to be most impacted. The Biden administration’s science-based plan addresses racial equity through the establishment of an equity task force and invests in testing, tracing, and vaccines for high-risk communities, mirroring our COVID Community Care legislation.”
“This national strategy is a critical step in delivering care for those who need it most. Especially as we continue to develop our vaccine distribution plan, we must prioritize accessibility for the most vulnerable and underserved. We look forward to working with the Biden Administration to enact this plan quickly and continue prioritizing underserved communities and communities of color in our fight against this virus.”
President Biden's National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness will establish the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force and expand data collection and reporting for high-risk groups. The plan will also provide funding for new community based public health workers to conduct outreach and services in their own communities. The national strategy aligns with provisions from Representative Lee and Senator Warren's legislation, the COVID Community Care Act, which ensures that community leaders and organizations help lead the effort to provide equitable access to critical COVID-19 PPE, tests, vaccines, and resources for medically underserved communities.
The COVID Community Care Act would empower trusted organizations in underserved communities to address mistrust of public health information and provide timely services to combat COVID-19. This legislation provides grants to faith-based and community organizations, as well as funding to the Indian Health Service, to conduct testing, contact tracing, and public outreach. It also requires that those hired are connected with the community and the people they serve.
For more information about the Biden Administration’s National COVID-19 Strategy, click here.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Representative Lee and Senator Warren have been calling for immediate support for medically underserved communities and communities of color:
- In January, Congresswoman Lee hosted a tele-town hall to promote the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines and address vaccine hesitancy, especially within communities of color. Guest speakers were NIH Vaccine Research Center’s Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett and Dr. Barney Graham, and Alameda County Health Care Services Agency’s Medical Director, Dr. Kathleen Clanon.
- In January, Congresswoman Lee and Senator Warren, with Reps. Beatty, Chu, Ruiz, Bass, and Kelly, sent a letter to Secretary Azar of HHS to urge the $2.8 billion for testing, contact tracing, and vaccines for communities of color and medically underserved communities be allocated through the framework of the COVID Community Care Act.
- In December, Congresswoman Barbara Lee hosted a tele-town hall on the COVID-19 vaccine with Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett, PHD, National Institute of Health’s (NIH) key scientist behind the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Barney Graham, MD, Deputy Director of the NIH Vaccine Research Center, and Dr. Kathleen Clanon, M.D., Medical Director, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency.
- In December, Congresswoman Lee and Senator Warren hosted a town hall on racial health disparities and addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In November, Congresswoman Lee delivered remarks on the House floor emphasizing the need for COVID-19 testing and tracing, and the disproportionate impact on Black, Brown, Latinx, and Indigenous people.
- In September, Congresswoman Lee, along with Tri-Caucus+ leaders Bass, Chu, Castro, Haaland, and Davids, introduced the COVID Community Care Act, to ensure that community-based organizations and local leaders in medically underserved communities and communities of color can act as trusted messengers to build trust within the testing and tracing process.
- In September, Senator Warren along with Congresswomen Lee and Pressley introduced the Anti-Racism in Public Health Act, which would create a Center on Anti-Racism in Health at the CDC, improve the federal government's ability to develop anti-racist health policy, and also create a Law Enforcement Violence Prevention Program at the CDC.
- Senator Warren and Congresswoman Pressley introduced the bicameral Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act to require the federal government to collect and report coronavirus demographic data on race and ethnicity.
- In March, the lawmakers wrote to Health & Human Services Secretary Azar urging the agency to collect racial and ethnic demographic data on COVID-19 testing and treatment.