As new variants of COVID-19 enter our region bringing cases and deaths back to the record levels from 2020, the St. Louis Regional Health Commission (RHC) joins the St. Louis Integrated Health Network (IHN) and others, to voice our support of public health officials, and all of the medical and lay professionals who work tirelessly to improve and protect the health and well-being of all those in our region. These people serve on the frontlines of the pandemic and we trust their guidance and leadership as we continue to face dangerous adverse impacts of COVID-19 that are greatly impacting our under-resourced communities.
The RHC’s mission is to improve equitable healthcare access and outcomes for medically uninsured and underinsured residents of St. Louis City and County, especially among those who are most at risk. Racism is a continual threat to public health and we seek to eradicate it. Accordingly, we condemn racist, xenophobic and hateful rhetoric and action targeted at any individual or community such as was experienced by Dr. Faisal Khan at the July 27 Saint Louis County Council meeting. Such actions are a continued detriment to the health and well-being of our region. We encourage a return to civil discourse, reasoned responses, and urgent action as we respond to the collective threat of COVID-19. We further encourage bolstering support of leaders, including emerging ones, who are courageous enough to deploy models of accountability that center those closest to the issue – both as service recipients and providers.
We stand with our healthcare and community leaders who place the lives of people over alleged protocol. We amplify the voices of those on the frontline who are bravely calling for action as they chart a course for our future. We work to support our community to prepare and prevail during the ravages of this pandemic. The people of the Saint Louis region deserve no less.
In solidarity,
Angela F. Brown
Chief Executive Officer,
St. Louis Regional Health Commission