Letters: KC readers discuss left-wing strategy, Pence unmasked and health disparities
Have it both ways
I see the members of The Star’s left-wing editorial board have positioned themselves perfectly. They support the stay-at-home orders, which is in line with authoritarian control of the people. (April 27, 7A, “Missouri could pay a steep price for Gov. Mike Parson’s rush to reopen businesses”) If any little thing goes awry, they can sit back and assign blame (to Republicans, no doubt). If things work out, well, never mind.
The reality is that we must quit hiding and get on with our lives.
- Tom Odell, Kansas City
Not out front
I read The Star every morning and always have. For anyone, especially the president of the United States, to suggest injecting toxic disinfectants to treat the coronavirus is incredibly irresponsible and dangerous. (April 28, 6A, “Health officer says man followed advice, drank a disinfectant product”)
Then for the president to say he was being “sarcastic” is even more irresponsible and dangerous. Who jokes about that?
Almost as disappointing was The Star’s decision not to make it a screaming front-page headline. After all, lives are at stake.
- Tom Kramer, Independence
First priority
I have been working nights in the emergency room at a Kansas City hospital as a certified nursing assistant during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have resorted to rationing supplies to make sure there is enough personal protective equipment for every unit.
I have seen patients make difficult journeys from far-off rural areas to get to our hospital, and I am reminded that 11 counties in Kansas do not even have hospitals. This makes me think about all the areas of the world that lack adequate health infrastructures and how challenging it must be for those communities to face a pandemic.
Unlike with COVID-19, however, we do have a solution to many deadly but preventable diseases: vaccines. As a health care professional, I have seen firsthand how vaccines reduce the spread of viruses such as measles and influenza. Once a coronavirus vaccine is developed, making it available to all who need it will require increased investment in immunization programs.
I encourage my members of Congress to support access to vaccines for all children, here in Kansas and around the world.
- Kendall Walter, Lawrence, Kansas
Questionable
Vice President Mike Pence visited the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday, conspicuously failing to wear a protective mask despite being notified of the clinic’s policy beforehand. (April 29, KansasCity.com, “Pence comes under fire for going maskless at Mayo Clinic”) When asked about flouting safety rules designed to protect himself, health care professionals and patients in the facility, he merely noted that he’s frequently tested and did not have the COVID-19 virus at his most recent test.
This response begs the question: Would it not be possible for him to contract or transmit the virus during his visit? It begs another question: Is the infirmity of idiocy communicable?
- Martin Zehr, Kansas City
Ahead of the curve
Recent reports reveal that COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting African Americans. Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention details that 30% of COVID-19 patients are African American, a rate more than double African Americans’ percentage of the population in the United States and Missouri.
Disparities in COVID-19 cases reflect structural issues that without intervention will continually produce health inequalities. At Swope Health, a community health center that has served the Kansas City region for 50 years, we see the inequities firsthand every day.
Our experience informs the answer I propose: Kansas City will need a village approach to community health and community transformation to avert racial disparities in the next health crisis.
A regional task force composed of research universities, government agencies, foundations, nonprofits, community advocates and neighborhood leaders could unite and leverage resources, including critical community health data. Then put change into operation. Set community health goals and embrace them as vehicles for regional advancement.
Lastly, legislate the action. Elected officials can create Accountable Communities of Health, a model of structured, cross-sectional alliances working toward improving community health outcomes. This collaborative vision includes Kansas City’s corporate leaders. Corporations benefit significantly from healthy communities and a well workforce.
Minimizing human loss during the next pandemic begins now. It requires collective impact and the assembly of leaders in the region.
- Jeron Ravin, president and CEO, Swope Health, Kansas City