Integrative Nurses & Health Coaches Address COVID-19 Health Disparities

Epidemiological data point to stark differences in the effect of COVID-19 on communities of color and minorities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in July that, adjusted for age, the death rate for Black Americans was 3.7 times higher than that of Whites, followed by indigenous Americans (3.5 times), Pacific Islander Americans (2.8 times), Latino Americans (2.5 times), and Asian Americans (1.4 times).

Underlying health conditions such as diabetes and obesity play a part in the higher rate of deaths from the virus in Black and Latino populations, revealing fault lines in the healthcare system. “Racial ethnic disparities in COVID-19 are the result of pre-pandemic realities,” says Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith of Yale School of Medicine.  

Jarvis Chen, a researcher at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health believes distrust of the healthcare system by African Americans is a major barrier to overcoming health disparities.

Integrative nurse coaches—registered nurses who work with the whole person using modalities that integrate body, mind, emotion, spirit, and environment—have a role to play in reducing health inequities. Often working in diverse communities, they can address barriers to healthier lifestyles by engaging with community leaders and listening to concerns.

Among their initiatives are to create access to fresh foods; analyze the impact of toxic environments in urban and low-income areas; develop affordable quality healthcare; connect people to community health centers to facilitate lifestyle improvement programs and wellness visits.

Training healthcare professionals to honor diversity and explore cultural dynamics is also a priority. 

Nurse coaches can be critical team members in grassroots initiatives to create healthy populations in underserved communities.