The University of Alabama announced this week that it is launching a $4 million project to address gaps in health care among the communities that COVID-19 disproportionately impacts: racial minorities and those in rural areas.
“The federal government term is 'underserved',” project co-leader Nisa Miranda said. “I think in many cases, it’s more dire than that. These are communities that are struggling, who are remote and isolated, and as a result, they don't have access to the types of health care services that most of us expect to have as Americans.”
Funded through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Alabama Department of Public Health, UA’s Equitable Neighborhoods Initiative aims to build up support systems and resources in these areas to prevent crises like the pandemic from causing as much damage in the future.