New tool tracks health disparities in U.S.

A coalition of researchers and advocates launched a tool this week they hope will fill some of the gaps in data on racial disparities in the U.S. health system (Source: “A new tool tracks health disparities in the U.S. — and highlights major data gaps,” Stat News, May 26).

The Health Equity Tracker is a portal that collects, analyzes and makes visible data on some of the inequities entrenched in U.S. medicine.

“For far too long it’s been ‘no data, no problem,’” said Nelson Dunlap, chief of staff at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine, which developed the tool with funding and resources from Google.org, Gilead Sciences, Annie E. Casey Foundation and CDC Foundation.

By making data accessible that highlights racial health disparities, the tracker aims to empower local advocates to drive change in their communities — and inspire action to fill in holes in data that are themselves reinforced by structural racism. In the tracker’s display, 38% of federally-collected COVID-19 cases report unknown race and ethnicity.