Quick Safety 57 Equitable care during pandemic 2 5 21

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people from racial and ethnic minority groups have an increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19 (see the graphic below and the resources section for more information). [...] Inequities in the social determinants of health, such as poverty and access to health care, are barriers that prevent people from minority groups and different ethnicities from receiving safe, equitable health care.1 This is a problem in all settings of care, but the pandemic has revealed some specific instances of inequitable care problems in hospitals, nursing homes and behavioral health care se. [...] In this issue, we focus on actions that organizations can take to identify and address racial and ethnic disparities while removing barriers to providing safe, equitable and quality health care during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. [...] Requirements and initiatives to address health care disparities Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the “ground of race, color or national origin” in hospitals and other health care organizations that receive federal financial assistance. [...] Actions for providers and leaders at health care organizations: • Proactively collect data to see if and where disparities and inequities in treatment and service delivery take place in your organization.