Building a Sustainable Action Plan for Prevention, Detection, and Treatment of COVID-19 for the African American and Hispanic Communities Across the United States DRAFT CONFIDENTIAL CONCEPT WHITE PAPER Offered by the Consortium of: Westat, Inc. – Coordinating Center University of Maryland Center for Health Equity – Lead of Academic Partners National Black Church Initiative – Lead of Community Outreach and Activities National Medical Association – Co-Lead of Professional Health Affiliates National Hispanic Medical Association – Co-Lead of Professional Health Affiliates National Association of Community Health Centers – Lead of Clinical Access April 13, 2020 Prepared for: Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Prepared by: Westat An Employee-Owned Research Corporation® 1600 Research Boulevard Rockville, Maryland 20850-3129 (301) 251-1500 2 I. Our Ask To stridently move forward, we respectively request the opportunity to have Maryland’s Governor Larry Hogan, and Lieutenant Governor Boyd K. Rutherford, and the Maryland Task Force on COVID-19, review this white paper, and join a virtual meeting to discuss details of this action plan, and possible discussion with the White House Task Force on COVID-19. Our point of contact is Dr. Scott Royal, President and CEO of Westat, Inc. Telephone is (703) 919-0189; scottroyal@westat.com. He is available to take your call or respond to your e-mail. II. Executive Summary The goal of the COVID-19 Sustainable Action Plan (SAP) is to establish a public-private partnership between the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) and the COVID-19 Consortium to deliver accurate information and referrals to community-based services focusing on African American and Hispanic communities across America. The SAP will deliver health messaging, clinical testing, and treatment guidelines, through trusted sources known to these communities. Our Consortium represents a solution to the COVID-19 response for African American and Hispanic historically under-served Americans. This SAP is led by a Consortium offered through Westat, Inc., a premier health research organization who has served as a coordinating center for key federal initiatives, has partnered with top academic, nonprofit and clinical partners who reach into these high risk communities throughout the United States:  University of Maryland (UMD) Center for Health Equity  National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) Consortium of: Westat, Inc., University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, National Black Church Initiative, National Medical Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, and National Association of Community Health Centers 3  Morehouse University and selected Historic Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)  National Medical Association (NMA)  National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA);  National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) The Consortium will build an infrastructure using the NBCI network of 150,000 churches and the 10,000 clinical facilities available through the NACHC to serve these two communities of high risk, to combat COVID-19 now, and to be sustainable in disseminating key messages and linking communities of color to clinical care. The sustainable infrastructure we build, as a product of this Consortium, will positively impact 100 million Americans, with a special focus on African American and Hispanic communities of color. In addition to disseminating information and guidance for COVID-19, this infrastructure can be used to support ongoing community health issues that are disproportionately impacted by COVID19, such as cancer, diabetes, and need for nutritional guidance. NACHC, with centers located nationwide, is positioned to serve as distribution points of care within these communities. Similarly, nationwide community-based organizations, as part of the Consortium, will provide these communities with accurate, useful, and timely information. These organizations have on-the-ground experience. Solutions we produce for these communities will serve as the model for managing pandemics and public health emergencies that come in the future. Consortium of: Westat, Inc., University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, National Black Church Initiative, National Medical Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, and National Association of Community Health Centers 4 Since February 2020, NBCI has been very active at the community-level by using their church community to distribute over 20 million copies of CDC COVID-19 infographics to families, businesses, workers, and schools. We will build on the trust and momentum we have with leaders in these communities and provide assistance to preserve health and limit mortality from this virus in the African American and Hispanic communities. In summary, the infrastructure we establish and inform with our Consortium partners will be sustainable and able to continue to serve these African American and Hispanic communities through the current crisis of COVID-19 and for future outbreaks. This is a plan that will safeguard health in these underserved communities, be conducted using a rigorous scientific approach, and be delivered by known and trusted community organizations. Following feedback from the administration, we can prepare a detailed proposal, timeline, and budget within 7 days. All key Consortium staff leads are available to discuss this proposal given a 24-hour notice. III. Organizations Leading the Consortium Westat Inc., serving as the Coordinating Center, has more than 50 years serving in similar roles for numerous National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) programs and research studies that are national in scope. Westat currently is working with the CDC on a project to establish a “Virtual Network to Investigate Risk of Influenza-Associated Severe Outcomes and Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness of the U.S.” Westat, also, has supported the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) HIV and Other Infectious Diseases Clinical Research from 2011-2017. For this work, Westat supported the Site Evaluation Visit (SEV) Process for the Vaccine Research Center (VRC). Westat employs a pool of experienced Clinical Consortium of: Westat, Inc., University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, National Black Church Initiative, National Medical Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, and National Association of Community Health Centers 5 Research Associates (CRAs) located throughout the U.S. Westat CRAs have monitored studies for National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), NIAID, and CDC. These CRAs will be tapped as needed to support the work of this Consortium. University of Maryland’s Center for Health Equity will provide leadership in the preparation of materials and appropriate tailored campaigns for clinical care providers. Morehouse University, Emory University, Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science have joined the Consortium. These academic centers bring research credibility that will resonate with health care providers who provide direct care in these communities. These efforts will help engage health care providers arming them with trusted information tailored to this audience. The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) outreach represents a total of 150,000 churches. This total includes 34,000 African American and Latino churches with 15 million members across the country, plus outreach capabilities to reach an additional estimated 115,000 affiliated churches. The NBCI can engage many other African American organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Black Newspaper Association, National Baptist Convention, and National Council of Churches, to extend the programs, messaging, and activities into the African American and Hispanic communities. NBCI is fully prepared to use its established national health information network to inform communities about activities the Consortium will be providing in response to COVID-19. Consortium of: Westat, Inc., University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, National Black Church Initiative, National Medical Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, and National Association of Community Health Centers 6 The National Medical Association and the National Hispanic Medical Association will coordinate with NBCI and Westat to oversee the outreach provided by physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists to the African American and Hispanic communities. The National Association of Community Health Centers, which includes over 10,000 community-based centers and partners across the country will be designated locations where information, treatment, and vaccinations (when available) on COVID-19 will be provided to help ensure equitable opportunities for COVID19 education, virus testing, distribution of drug therapies and vaccines in the future. IV. Key Staff Biosketches Key staff are immediately available to begin work. Howard Fishbein, DrPH, MPH will serve as the Senior Epidemiologist for the project and lead the Coordinating Center for the Consortium. Dr. Fishbein will be the main point of contact and will oversee the activities in all task areas. Dr. Fishbein’s 35-year career provides the experience to manage and guide this multipronged effort. Dr. Fishbein is a proven effective leader and manager of large multisite public health programs at the national, state, and local levels. Dr. Fishbein’s work as a senior epidemiologist includes Center director positions at the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Departments of Public health, expert scientist for the Agency for Health Care and Policy Research, and Senior Researcher and Project Manager in private sector public health research. He has a long history of engaging communities and providing healthcare services and programs to providers and populations underrepresented in public health research with a focus on prevention and early treatment. Consortium of: Westat, Inc., University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, National Black Church Initiative, National Medical Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, and National Association of Community Health Centers 7 Chanza Baytop, DrPH, MPH will serve as the Senior Public Health Specialist working closely with Dr. Fishbein. Dr. Baytop has 19 years of leadership in the design, implementation, and evaluation of local, state and federal programs and initiatives. She has focused on improving health equity and reducing health disparities in chronic disease, maternal and child health, and HIV/AIDS. Her experience supporting projects for CDC, HRSA, and NIH includes translating research findings into evidence–based practice; providing training and technical assistance to community-based organizations for program planning and evaluation; directing multi-disciplinary teams and collaborating with local, state and federal partners in public and private sectors, domestic and abroad, while ensuring high quality, timely and cost efficient deliverables. Stephen Thomas, PhD, will serve as the Lead for community and multicultural engagement. He will lead this work from experience as the founding director of the UMD Center for Health Equity, an NIH Center of Excellence on Race, Ethnicity and Health Disparities Research. Dr. Thomas is a professor in the School of Public Health at UMD and is internationally recognized as one of the nation’s leading scholars on community activation. He will engage Morehouse University, Emory University, Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in the development of outreach materials to health care providers and the public within the African American and Hispanic communities. Reverend Anthony Evans, President of the NBCI, will direct all activities and tasks of the NBCI outreach efforts to the network of 150,000 churches. NBCI was organized to address the growing health disparities of African Americans. During the last 17 years at NBCI, Rev. Evans has provided fiscal oversight, managed fundraising initiatives, completed the organizational strategic plan, and hired Consortium of: Westat, Inc., University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, National Black Church Initiative, National Medical Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, and National Association of Community Health Centers 8 and trained staff. He serves as the liaison between faith-based communities, government agencies and community-based organizations. Rev. Evans does extensive national and community work in youth crime prevention, sickle cell disease, assisting the United Way, and personally provides volunteer services to a homeless shelter, the DC jail, and as an advocate for the mentally challenged. Owen Garrick, MD, will work with Reverend Evans at NBCI and Dr. Thomas at UMD, to oversee the educational materials and clinical guidelines being provided to clinicians at the community health centers and community-based organizations delivering messages to the community of healthcare providers. Dr. Garrick is CEO of Bridge Clinical Research which is the leading research organization focused on minority health and improved outcomes. He earned his MD from the Yale School of Medicine and MBA from the Wharton School of Business. Dr. Garrick has served on the boards of several leading healthcare organizations, including Sutter Health – Bay Area Division, Quorum Review IRB, the New York Blood Center, and Mentoring in Medicine & Science, Samuel Merritt University and the American Medical Association Foundation where he was board President. He was also formerly a member of the HHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections. Evelynn Lewis, MD, will lead the Clinical Advisory Board overseeing clinical protocol development for health care providers at the National Medical Association and the National Hispanic Medical Association, clinical health centers and the community-based organizations. Dr. Lewis is nationally recognized for her expertise in the areas of community outreach, engagement, Veteran health, program development and evaluation, and healthcare disparities. Dr. Lewis earned her medical degree from the University of the Health Sciences. Currently, she serves as Chief Consortium of: Westat, Inc., University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, National Black Church Initiative, National Medical Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, and National Association of Community Health Centers 9 Medical Officer for Warrior Centric Health, LLC; Board Chair for the National Children’s Center. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Health, Rutgers. She is a member of several professional organizations and medical associations including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the National Medical Association (NMA), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the Commission to End Healthcare Disparities. Consortium of: Westat, Inc., University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, National Black Church Initiative, National Medical Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, and National Association of Community Health Centers