ABNF Statement on COVID-19 Disparate Impact on African Americans

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2020) states, to date, only 43% of COVID-19 case data is desegregated by race;however, African Americans represent nearly a third (28%) of these cases [ ]Johns Hopkins University (2020) data indicate that African Americans account for over a third (34%) of COVID-19 deaths in those states reporting by race ABNF strongly asserts these observations are deplorable and actionable [ ]ABNF supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC, 2020) call for addressing the untoward, interrelated social and economic systems (i e , social environment, physical environment, health services, and structural and societal factors) responsible for the spread of COVID-19 among minority populations [ ]these data will allow health care providers and researchers to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the health and economic profile of African Americans (Artiga et al , 2020) ABNF supports measures to address the Coronavirus outbreak made by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), and others in their call for objective and evidencebased approaches to the management of this public health concern