Addressing Differential Impacts of Covid-19 in NYS: The Differential Impacts of COVID-19: Five Lessons from New York’s Hospital Community

Abstract

New York State healthcare providers learned much from the covid pandemic about identifying and addressing health disparities. Although many already were engaged in equity efforts there are five ways hospitals and states might consider further reducing disparities in the future. They include: 1) reduce financial disparities across hospitals, 2) use hospitals as "anchor institutions" to leverage the power of community to reduce disparities, 3) embed social determinants of health into health planning at hospitals, 4) maximizing technology as a tool for equity, and 5) consider how healthcare "consumerism" may widen or decrease health for patients.