Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Under-Resourced Communities

Dr. Tammara Thomas, Dr. Keisha Rogers, and Dr. Felicia Simpson funded by UNC Policy Collaborative.

For individuals with disabilities who are also minorities and live in poverty, the combination of factors can be deadly in a pandemic state. It is therefore critical to examine barriers that may be contributive to health care and economic resource accessibility, and public health messaging for populations most adversely impacted by COVID-19.  This study builds upon a current mixed-methods study examining the individual-level and systemic barriers that produce disparities in competitive employment acquisition and upward mobility among minority populations with disabilities in Forsyth County. It will expand the line of inquiry to include examination of barriers pervasive to access to health care, access to economic resources, and availability of public health messaging to minority and elderly populations with disabilities in the Piedmont Triad area. The research question is: To what extent do poverty, disability, and minority status relate COVID related disparities for vulnerable minority populations in Piedmont Triad area? The hypothesis is: there exist common barriers (e.g., healthcare, transportation, childcare, and education) for the target population. The study will utilize a factorial experiment to determine the effect of two or more independent variables on a dependent variable.