On Thursday, March 24th, Phoenecia “Neci”  Hill, the Community Engagement Coordinator from the Center on Society and Health, facilitated a conversation about health equity in Richmond and how people of color and other underserved populations can move forward past the COVID-19 pandemic.

The discussion took place at the VCU Health Hub, located in Richmond’s East End. The panelists included local change-makers, Allan-Charles Chipman from Initiatives of Change, Katie St. Germain from Crossover Ministries, and Sherrell Thompson from the Richmond City Health District. 

Among the topics discussed were the meaning of health equity and what it looks like in Richmond, as well as what resources were helpful to communities of color when trying to navigate through the pandemic. The panelists also discussed the role of “safety net providers” during the pandemic and how they are still needed, and why underserved communities sometimes distrust those in the medical field and the information they hear from them.

The discussion was part of an undergraduate course at Virginia Commonwealth University called “History and Health: Concepts in Health” under the professors Dr. Kimberly Battle, Logan Vetrovec, and Anne Massey.