Improving Equity in Cancer Care in the Face of a Public Health Emergency

Cancer health disparities have been well documented among different populations in the United States for decades. While the cause of these disparities is multifactorial, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the structural barriers to health and health care and the gaps in public health infrastructure within the United States. The most long-standing inequities are rooted in discriminatory practices, current and historical, which have excluded and disenfranchised many of the most vulnerable populations in the nation. These systemic barriers are themselves a public health crisis, resulting in increased mortality rates in communities of color from both COVID-19 and cancer. While implementing programs to temporarily improve cancer equity locally or regionally is laudable, it is imperative to develop a public health strategy focused on alleviating the root causes of health inequities to improve the health and well-being of every citizen and ensure readiness for the next public health emergency.