Health Justice Strategies to Combat the Pandemic: Eliminating Discrimination, Poverty, and Health Inequity During and After COVID-19

Isolation, Solitude and Social Distancing for People Who Use Drugs: An Ethnographic Perspective

“…Social isolation for people who use drugs takes on new significance in light of the pandemic, particularly in the face of nationwide lockdowns and social distancing measures. In certain cases, actions taken to prevent the spread of the virus have been beneficial to substance users – such as services delivering essentials of food and medication to users who are shielding – while other measures have worsened the difficulties faced by users on a day-to-day basis ( 39 ). Homeless substance users offered temporary accommodation for the duration of the crisis, for instance, have found themselves facing intensified isolation, due to being removed from social networks and known spaces ( 40 ).…”

A Systems Approach to Addressing Covid-19 Health Inequities

“…Some state and local governments are taking mitigating steps, for example, by placing a moratorium on evictions or expanding access to food assistance programs. 21 Such short-term policies are important for limiting economic burden but may not decrease Covid-19 infection rates or deaths. Directly addressing more proximal or downstream contributors such as lack of access to care and inequity in testing and treatment may be more feasible during this time and could immediately impact health outcomes.…”

Eviction, Health Inequity, and the Spread of COVID-19: Housing Policy as a Primary Pandemic Mitigation Strategy

“…The deep underlying health disparity can be traced to the inability to social distance in many low-wage jobs, crowded living conditions due to poverty and eviction, bias among health care providers, and disparate access to health care [93]. Other social determinants of health, like poverty and access to clean air and water, have driven larger proportions of people of color to develop comorbidities with COVID-19, like asthma or hypertension, that contribute to higher mortality rates.…”

“…However, the relationship between eviction and health equity will remain long after the pandemic's conclusion. Beyond pandemic stop-gap measures, it is critical to harness this period of political creativity to address the root causes of the housing and eviction crisis, in addition to immediate needs [93]. Only then will health equity and health justice be secured [93].…”