On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Council is set to discuss a resolution declaring racism as a public health crisis in Davidson County.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Council is set to discuss a resolution declaring racism as a public health crisis in Davidson County.
“It’s not a crisis that any of us here manufactured,” said Metro Councilwoman Delishia Porterfield. “It’s something that’s been a crisis for years or decades in this country.”
As stated in the resolution filing, Metro Council would pledge to dismantle racism and address its associated health disparities through specific actions.
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“To effectively address racism as a public health crisis, the Metro Council commits to encouraging the Metro Nashville Health Department to strengthen partnerships, utilize data-driven decision-making, advocate for relevant policies, implement workforce development strategies, engage with the community and collaborate on systemic change,” the resolution filing said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declares racism a serious public health threat that directly affects the well-being of millions of Americans and, as a result, affects the health of the entire nation.
“There are health disparities between African Americans and other individuals across the country and also here in Davidson County,” Porterfield said. “If you look at the infant mortality rate, if you look at how it’s more likely for a Black woman to die in childbirth than it is for other women to die in childbirth, and you look at all the various health disparities with regards to the quality of healthcare that we receive, it’s just saying that we understand that racism is a public health crisis.”
According to the 2018 Nashville Community Health + Well-being Survey results, Black infants in Davidson County are four times more likely to die from low birthweight complications than non-Hispanic white infants.
The latest Tennessee Department of Health Maternal Mortality Rate report showed that non-Hispanic Black women are two and half times more likely to die than White women.
If the resolution is adopted, Metro Nashville would join over 260 cities, counties, public health agencies and academic institutions to declare racism a public health crisis.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Metro Council filed and passed similar legislation. Porterfield explained the new resolution is just a way to ensure the issue remains top of mind.
“It’s just acknowledging that it’s a continuing issue, and we want to do everything we can to address it and resolve it going forward,” Porterfield said.
The resolution is on the agenda for Metro Council’s Sept. 17 meeting which begins at 6:30 p.m.