racial inequities

A pulse oximeter is worn by Brown University professor Kimani Toussaint. The devices have been shown in research to produce inaccurate results in dark-skinned people, and Toussaint's lab is developing technology that would be more accurate, regardless of

When it comes to darker skin, pulse oximeters fall short

1:19pm July 11, 2022

by Craig LeMoult

These devices measure blood oxygen levels and can help identify when patients are dangerously ill. But research shows they can deliver misleading results for people with darker skin.

Karla Monterroso says after going to Alameda Hospital in May with a very accelerated heart rate, very low blood pressure and cycling oxygen levels, her entire experience was one of being punished for being 'insubordinate.'

Health & Safety

'All You Want Is To Be Believed': Sick With COVID-19 And Facing Racial Bias In The ER

5:01am October 21, 2020

by April Dembosky

When a Latina woman went to a Bay Area hospital, a doctor was dismissive of her COVID symptoms. Is unconscious bias one reason people of color are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus?

A COVID-19 test is collected in Salt Lake City, Utah. A federal study published Monday found that Hispanic and non-white workers make up a disproportionate share of COVID-19 cases associated with workplace outbreaks in Utah.

CDC Study Finds Hispanics Hit Disproportionately Hard By Workplace Outbreaks

6:20pm August 17, 2020

by Rachel Treisman

A study out Monday found that Hispanic and nonwhite workers made up 73% of cases associated with workplace outbreaks in certain industries, despite representing 24% of the workforce in those sectors.

A letter from current CDC staff recently submitted to Director Robert Redfield demands that the agency address structural racism toward Black employees.

CDC Employees Call Out Agency's 'Toxic Culture Of Racial Aggressions'

6:20pm July 13, 2020

Pointing to the pandemic's disproportionate toll on people of color, over 1,200 workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call on the agency to declare racism a public health crisis.

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In Large Texas Cities, Access To Coronavirus Testing May Depend On Where You Live

5:02pm May 27, 2020

An NPR investigation shows that black and Latino neighborhoods in four large Texas cities have fewer coronavirus testing sites, leaving communities blind to potential COVID-19 outbreaks.

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