The Biden administration is spending millions to train thousands of minorities in the fields of data collection and public health, according to the watchdog group Judicial Watch, which is questioning the expenditure of tax dollars. The goal is to improve health data when it comes to race and ethnicity, and “root out pervasive health and socioeconomic inequities” in the U.S. healthcare system, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
HHS secretary Xavier Becerra stated the investment will create a necessary “pipeline of diverse professionals” needed to better the future of public health services and emergencies.
It seems to be part of a broad effort that also includes local governments to prioritize the health of minorities over others. Earlier this year Judicial Watch reported that Virginia shifted its COVID-19 vaccination distribution to prioritize black and Latino residents even as desperate 85-year-olds struggled to get the shot. A few months later Maryland opened a “special clinic” exclusively for Latinos in its two largest counties to receive the vaccine. Public officials in Montgomery County, Maryland’s most populous, said the controversial initiative would help overcome inequities in the vaccine rollout as well as general health disparities that plague poor minority communities. Keep in mind that the shots were created as part of a Trump administration initiative called Operation Warp Speed to accelerate the development, production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and deliver 300 million doses to all Americans. The U.S. reportedly invested $18 billion on the project which involves several key government agencies—such as the Department of Defense (DOD), HHS and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—and private companies.
Judicial Watch
You can read the Judicial Watch article here.
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