Appropriations Committee
JOINT FAVORABLE REPORT
Bill No.: HB-6662
AN ACT DECLARING RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND
Title: ESTABLISHING THE COMMISSION ON RACIAL EQUITY IN PUBLIC HEALTH.
Vote Date: 4/21/2021
Vote Action: Joint Favorable Substitute
PH Date: 3/26/2021
File No.:
Disclaimer: The following JOINT FAVORABLE Report is prepared for the benefit of the
members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and
explanation and does not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber
thereof for any purpose.
SPONSORS OF BILL:
Appropriations Committee
REASONS FOR BILL:
To address racial health disparities and inequalities by declaring racism a public health crisis
and establishing the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health.
RESPONSE FROM ADMINISTRATION/AGENCY:
State of Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities expressed strong
support for the bill. CHRO pointed out the disparities that have been exacerbated by the
COVID-19 pandemic, and the inequities of the healthcare, education, and criminal justice
systems. Additionally, CHRO noted that Connecticut must join other states and communities
who have declared racism a public health crisis and be a leader.
Acting Commissioner Diedre S. Gifford, Department of Health supported the intent of the bill
with suggested modifications that pertain to the use of appropriate terminology. The Acting
Commissioner noted that it is not within the realm of possibility to eliminate health disparities,
but it is possible to reduce disparities. Section 2 requires the Commission to develop a
strategic plan and make recommendations. DPH is the lead convener for the Healthy CT:
State Health Improvement Coalition which developed the Healthy CT 2025: State Health
Improvement Plan. DPH is prepared to support the Commission with this plan that aims for
equity and the elimination of structural racism at each level. Section 5 required DPH to
conduct a study on the development and implementation of a recruitment and retention
program for health care workers in the state who are people of color. The Department is
concerned about available resources and timeframe. DPH recommends engaging the
healthcare sector through their trade associations to perform this assessment.
Victoria Veltri, Executive Director- Office of Health Strategy offered support of this bill and
provided two examples of how OHS continues to address disparities highlighted by the
pandemic including their work on the Governor's Executive Order No. 5 and introducing
legislation to enhance and normalize the data hospitals and providers that participate in the
Health Information Exchange collect from patients. OHS stated that they were ready to
increase public transparency about how hospitals are providing community benefits to
individuals within their respective service areas. OHS recognized that the commission must
consider the impact of social determinants of health on policy and develop a strategy for the
state to guide our ongoing efforts to eliminate inequities. OHS is concerned about their ability
to hire and provide support for the commission, but remains supportive of the bill's intent and
dedicated to working to resolve operational challenges.
Shawn T. Wooden, State Treasurer- Office of the Treasurer offered support of this bill stating
that racism and health are intertwined. He cited that this pandemic has exacerbated racial
inequalities and highlighted the fact that racism in public health is a life and death issue.
Additionally, he cited that negative police interactions can cause harm and stress leading to
poor mental health in those experiencing interactions. He acknowledged this bill as an
important step forward in understanding the full impact of racism on health.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT:
Kai Addae, Resident of New Haven communicated the steps that the City of New Haven has
taken to declare racism a public health crisis and urged the state to do the same.
Morel Alexander, LMFT, et. al, CEDEA recognized that systemic racism produces inequities
in physical and mental health, and also recommended the bill include staffing to create racial
impact assessments.
Colette Anderson, Executive Director- CT Women's Consortium emphasized that since
racism is a determinant of health and causes inequities, it must be recognized as a public
health crisis. Additionally, she pointed out the importance of delivering trauma-informed care
as racist policies traumatize.
Stephen Anderson, President- CSEA SEIU Local 2001 cited that people of color are
victimized by systems that institutionalize racism and continue to fall behind as a result,
hence the need to declare racism a public health crisis.
Christopher Atchley, Hamden Democratic Town Committeeman cited the high Black
maternity and infant death rates and several social determinants of health as the most
important reason to declare racism a public health crisis. He also recommended the bill
include staffing to create racial impact assessments.
Catherine Bailey, Resident of West Hartford noted that racism must be addressed because it
is an institutional issue that creates drastic health disparities. She also mentioned that by
declaring racism a public health crisis, the CGA will signal its commitment and seriousness to
addressing the crisis.
Sister Cecilia Baranowski, Resident of Wolcott cited poor public housing conditions for people
of color that have negative health impacts as a reason to support this bill.
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Kenneth Barela, CEO- Hispanic Health Council emphasized the ways that racism impacts
health from infant death rates to asthma and urges the legislature to join at least 185 other
entities that have declared racism a public health crisis.
Alan Benford, Resident of Manchester lead with his Unitarian Universalist faith's main
principles as his reason for being so compelled to work to eradicate racism. He noted that
understanding and addressing racism from a public health perspective is key to eliminating
racial inequalities.
Samantha Bernstein-Naples, Resident of Hartford drew upon her experience living in Hartford
all her life and seeing the impact that racism has had on members of her community as a
reason to support this bill. Additionally, she cited the negative physical and mental health
implications of racism that can be addressed through establishing this commission.
Black and Brown United in Action cited barriers to economic growth for people of color, pay
disparities, and being denied opportunities as main reasons to support this bill.
Ruby Blackmon, President- AFSCME, Council 4 Local 196 pointed out that COVID-19 has
only amplified the racial disparities and inequities that exist in Connecticut, and that this bill
needs to address the state's history of racist laws and policies.
Nancy Bowden, Resident of Bloomfield called on this bill to establish a commission that
focuses on the lived experiences of Black people, Spanish speakers, Asian Americans, and
Indigenous persons.
Darryl Brackeen Jr., New Haven Alderman spoke upon his experience of working in New
Haven to declare racism a public health crisis. His recommendations include addressing food
insecurity, increasing minority contractors, supporting Black and Brown businesses, and
working with community partners.
Linda Bronstein, Resident of West Hartford stated that understanding and addressing racism
from a public health perspective is crucial to improving the well-being of communities of color.
Thomas Buckley, UConn School of Pharmacy Professor cited The Justice Collaborative
Institute's "Racism is a Public Health Crisis. Here's how to Respond", which states that
governments declaring racism a public health crisis is an important first step and provides
guidance moving forward.
Kathleen Callahan, National Association of Social Workers acknowledged that racism is a
social determinant of health which causes inequity and disparate outcomes. Additionally,
NASW/CT emphasized the importance of cultural humility in the bill.
Ruth Canovi, CT Director of Advocacy- American Lung Association cited that Black and
Brown communities bear a greater burden of lung disease than white communities, pointing
at social determinants of health and their impact.
Pareesa Charmchi Goodwin, Executive Director- The Connecticut Oral Health Initiative cited
disparities in oral health including that Black children are 7.34 times more likely than white
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children to need urgent dental care. In addition, COHI recommends the bill include staffing to
create racial impact assessments.
Supriyo B. Chatterjee, West Hartford Resident pointed out the need for a revised framework
for social determinants of health that can address racism, and that the first step is creating
the commission.
Stephanye Clarke, Program Officer- Community Foundation of Eastern CT stated that the
pandemic can be an opportunity to address the deep racial inequities that have plagued our
state.
Collaborative Center for Justice expressed their strong support as a faith-based institution
that wants to see the state decrease racist disparities in criminal justice outcomes, health,
and drug enforcement.
Cheryl Cook, Simsbury SPIRIT Council urged Connecticut to declare racism a public health
crisis as they have done in Simsbury to dismantle components of systemic racism and move
Connecticut closer to health equity.
Suzi Craig, Chief Strategy Officer- Mental Health Connecticut applauded the bill including
cultural humility and addressing racism as a public health crisis. MHC recommends adding
DMHAS Commissioner as a required appointment and adding right-fit service utilization as a
metric to measure success.
Connecticut State Medical Society expressed support of this bill and its addressing health
equity and disparities in healthcare. CSMS recommended that language should be
incorporated to include participation by a physician member of CSMS.
Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as an
example of how racism is linked to inequality in a healthcare and health disparities. CWEALF
supports creating structures to embed anti-racism in policymaking with the goal of moving to
end racism in our state.
San De Min, East Hartford Resident expressed belief that legislators would be better
equipped to handle issues like generational poverty and racial disparities in healthcare if this
bill were to pass.
Linda A. Demikat, Hartford Resident cited her experience as a public school teacher and
administrator, specifically how she saw negative health impacts in students of color, including
mental health.
Donna DiCello, Psy.D, North Haven Resident reflected upon her experiences as a mental
health services provider, and described the devastating effects that racism has had on the
mental health of people from Black, Brown, and Asian communities. She recommends that
the bill include staffing for racial impact assessments.
Shermya Dover-John, Avon Resident referenced the quiet culture of racism in Connecticut,
and stated that the support of legislators would help to influence change in communities of
color.
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Amy Dowell, Connecticut State Director- Education Reform Now noted that we need a
proactive, strategic approach to combating racism in order to move to achieve educational
equity for students. She pointed out that the education metrics will benefit students greatly.
Marcia DuFore, Executive Director- Amplify, Inc. reflected upon Amplify's work partnering
with UConn Health Disparities Institute and Ministerial Health Fellowship and organizing an
event to talk about how to address behavioral health during COVID-19 including racial
disparities. Amplify suggested that since their community partners have continued to meet,
that they should be considered an important resource for the Commission's work.
Paul Dworkin, MD, Pediatrician and Executive Vice President for Community Child Health-
Connecticut Children's Medical Center stated that the Commission's work should include
children's health issues in its work and subsequent recommendations.
Antonia Edwards spoke to experience of family facing discrimination in obtaining medical and
mental health services as a reason that this bill needs to be passed.
Tekisha Dwan Everette, Executive Director- Health Equity Solutions recommended that the
Commission employ a health equity in all policies approach and allocate funding for 2 staff
dedicated to conduct racial and ethnic impact statements.
Rev. Curtis Farr recommended that the bill include a review and reform of the legislative
process to improve public accessibility and set in place mechanisms to determine impact of
proposed legislation on race.
Lisa Fay, Resident of Fairfield reflected upon her experience seeing inequities in the
childhood early education field as a main reason this bill should pass. She recommends
including staffing to create racial impact assessments.
Patrick Feeley, Yale Student reflected upon how racial disparities in access to safe and
affordable housing, education, food, hiring, opportunities, etc. impact people of color, and that
this bill is urgent and overdue.
Celina Fernandez-Ayala, New Haven Resident recognized the bill as a great starting point to
address racism in the state and recommended that the bill include requirements around
culturally humility-oriented training or education for healthcare professionals.
Terry Fitzgerald, Enfield Resident acknowledged the need for the state to address underlying
socioeconomic gaps which drive disparities and recommended that the bill be amended to
include a review and reform of the legislative process to improve public accessibility and set
in place mechanisms to determine the impact of proposed legislation on race.
Kathleen Flaherty, Executive Director- CT Legal Rights Project expressed support for the bill,
but offered additional recommendations including reforming the Psychiatric Security Review
Board and requiring collection and reporting of race, ethnicity, and language data when it
comes to forced psychiatric treatment.
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Mary Fleischli, West Hartford Resident cited the statistic that the life expectancy of a non-
Hispanic Black American is 6 years lower than the life expectancy of a non-Hispanic White
American as a stark disparity and reason why this bill should pass to take steps to dismantle
components of systemic racism.
Rev. Larissa Forsythe, Glastonbury Resident reflected on moving to Connecticut and thinking
racism would not be as prevalent, but remains hopeful that legislators will pass this bill and
act to make changes to address racial inequities.
Sarah Fox, Director of Policy- CT Coalition to End Homelessness emphasized the link
between housing and health, and that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. CCEH urged
legislators to take this important first step in ending systemic racism.
Lauren Garrett, Hamden Resident cited that Black people are 10% more likely than white
people to be infected by COVID-19, however, Black people are almost 3 times more likely to
be hospitalized and almost 2 times more likely to die, according to the CDC. She stated that
COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting Black people, and passing this bill can be the
difference between life and death in the future.
Shirley Girouard, Branford Resident reflected upon her experiences witnessing the impact of
racism as a nurse and health policy consultant. She recommends the bill include staffing to
create racial impact assessments on proposed policies.
Kiley Gosselin, Executive Director- Partnership for Strong Communities cited the
disproportionate representation of people of color currently facing eviction, experiencing
housing instability, and homelessness and advocated for accountability and action in next
steps.
Liz Gustafson, State Director- NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut highlighted that a harsh light
has been cast on existing racial disparities and health inequities which have been
exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut recommends that
this bill include staffing to create racial impact assessments on proposed policies.
Annie and Neil Hornish, Suffield Residents acknowledge that the data showing race-based
health disparities is overwhelming, and this bill is a step in the right direction.
Sonya Jelks, Deputy Majority Leader- Meriden City Council emphasized the need for the
state to recognize racism as a public health crisis to address the problem by embedding anti-
racist principles in the operations of our state government. She recommends a diverse
representation on the commission, a Health Equity in All Policies approach, and funding for
staffing to conduct racial impact assessments on future proposed legislation.
Melinda Johnson, Director of Community Engagement and Advocacy- YWCA Hartford
Region stated she stood with the Connecticut Campaign to Address Racism as a Public
Health Crisis and asks that the bill be amended to include a review and reform of the
legislative process to improve public accessibility and set in place mechanisms to determine
the impact of proposed legislation on race.
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Eleta Jones, West Hartford Resident stated that understanding and addressing racism from a
public health perspective is crucial to eliminating racial and ethnic inequities and to improving
opportunities. She also added that she requests that the bill be amended to include a review
and reform of the legislative process to improve public accessibility and set in place
mechanisms to determine the impact of proposed legislation on race.
James Keitt shared his own experience and the experience of his family dealing with racism
in education, environmental hazards, and medicine. He emphasized that Black people in
underserved communities are dying, and action needs to be taken now.
Jan Kritzman, Newington Resident emphasized the importance of passing this bill because
young women of color can be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer. She mentioned the
need to improve health outcom