The White House announced Wednesday morning that Dr. James Hildreth, president of Nashville's Meharry Medical College, will join the Biden administration's 12-member Health Equity Task Force.
The Harvard alum and infectious disease expert has been at the forefront of Nashville's COVID-19 response in recent months.
"As the President of a historically Black medical school that was founded to eradicate health disparities between majority and minority communities, this work is a focus for me and my institution," says Dr. Hildreth in a statement. "I am committed to working with our national leadership to develop cohesive plans that will address these silent killers — illnesses like COVID-19 that impact our most vulnerable populations at alarming rates."
Task force chair Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith addressed reporters in a press briefing Tuesday. "This effort that focuses on direct allocation to the community health centers really is about connecting with those hard-to-reach populations across the country," said Dr. Nunez-Smith. "So this includes people who are experiencing homelessness, you know, agricultural and migrant workers, residents of public housing, and those with limited English proficiency."
COVID-19 has indeed been shown to disproportionately affect communities of color, in Nashville and around the country.
Also named to the task force is Goodlettsville's Bobby Watts, CEO of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.
"I am confident that President Biden’s heightened focus on the pandemic will accelerate testing, treatment and vaccinations nationwide," says Hildreth, "proven strategies that will work to mitigate the virus and protect our people."
