How many people do you live with? What does your work environment look like? How close to your home is the nearest clinic? These questions may seem mundane. But the answers can provide insight into why COVID-19 is impacting certain communities across the country at a higher rate than others.  

In this week’s episode, Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan take a hard look at the social and economic conditions that allowed COVID-19 to spread so rapidly in densely-populated communities. Our guest expert is Julian Drix, co-lead for the Health Equity Institute at the Rhode Island Department of Health. Drix is also the coordinated COVID-19 response lead at RIDOH for the cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls, two communities in Rhode Island that have been hit hard by the pandemic.  

But the conversation isn't limited to COVID-19. Drix talks in detail about the need for long-term solutions and structural changes to address health inequity. Download this week’s episode to learn more about social determinants of health and what RIDOH is doing to promote health equity.