The 2021 Virtual Health Care Symposium will take a look back on 2020 to examine the disproportionate consequences vulnerable communities experienced with COVID-19. The coronavirus brought to light the deep disparities these communities experience, built from a lifetime of social and racial inequities. Barriers these populations face daily – food access, affordable housing, anti-immigration policies – were magnified in their intensity, creating an ever-widening chasm between the availability of services and access to them.

We will take a close look at not only the social determinants of health, but the racial, social and health injustices that unduly burden one sector of society more than another.  These critical times call on all of us to work together to create a network of resources and programs designed to create a culture of equity and inclusion. When we are truly committed to improving lives, we will address all health inequities and work as a community to eliminate them.