Presidential COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force Final Report
In early 2021, Hogg Foundation executive director Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr. was appointed to President Biden’s new COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. The Task Force’s mission is to recommend “actions to mitigate health inequities caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent such inequities in the future,” and to promote collaboration across all sectors to achieve that end. Their final report is now released.
On January 21, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden issued Executive Order 13995, which established the Presidential COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. Marcella Nunez-Smith, M.D., M.H.S., associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Yale School of Medicine, chairs the Task Force. Dr. Martinez was appointed to the Task Force in February 2021. He joined 11 other members with diverse backgrounds, lived experiences, and expertise.
The Task Force presents two deliverables as part of the final report. The first deliverable includes five proposed priority actions, four suggested outcomes as the Task Force’s vision for change, and 55 final recommendations. The second deliverable includes a proposed implementation plan and suggested accountability framework to effect change and monitor progress toward the Task Force’s goal of advancing health equity for all.