Senator Eldridge Votes for An Act Addressing COVID-19 Data Collection and Disparities in Treatment
The bill, now signed into law by Governor Baker, requires the collection of vital public health data and addresses the disparate impact of Covid-19 on people of color.
BOSTON, MA - State Senator Jamie Eldridge voted to successfully pass legislation to promote equity and transparency as the Commonwealth continues to confront the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bill, S. 2703, An Act Addressing COVID-19 Data Collection and Disparities in Treatment, will increase the amount of statewide, publicly available data as it relates to the coronavirus. The legislation also establishes a task force to study and make policy recommendations to address health disparities for underserved and underrepresented communities during the pandemic. The bill was signed into law by the Governor earlier this week.
“I'm grateful that S.2703 was signed by the Governor, and I was proud to vote for it,” said Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton). “Data reporting is the foundation of reform and accountability - you can't manage what you can't measure. I’ve been a strong advocate around greater oversight in the state’s nursing homes, better conditions in correctional facilities, and more robust testing in affordable housing. I appreciate Senate President Karen Spilka's collaborative approach to perfecting this legislation. I commend the work of Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Senate Chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Public Health, Jo Comerford, and the Senate Chairwoman of the Elder Affairs Committee, Pat Jehlen, as well as the House Chairwoman of the Elder Affairs Committee, Ruth Balser. It's also critical that the legislation begins to address the racial and health disparities we are seeing during the coronavirus pandemic, and that the Baker-Polito administration is tasked with an action plan to address these disparities."
Under the bill, the Department of Public Health (DPH) is required to compile, collect and issue daily online reports on the number of people tested for COVID-19, positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths along with the gender, race, ethnicity, primary residence, occupation, disability, age and primary language of each case.
To ensure a comprehensive understanding of cases statewide, the legislation also requires that daily reports include data and demographic information from municipalities and counties with more than 25 positive cases, elder care facilities, as well as state and county correctional facilities. Facility-specific information will be made publicly available while maintaining individual privacy. In addition to requiring greater data collection, the bill requires the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to describe the actions it is taking to address disparities identified through the data collected.
In response to increasing concerns about the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and disproportionately impacted populations, the legislation also establishes a task force to study and make policy recommendations for how to address these health disparities. The task force is required to issue an interim report by June 30, 2020, with a final report due August 1, 2020.
###
