Op-ed, COVID-19 in GA: Low Wage Healthcare Workers Continue at Risk

The Delta variant is running rampant in Georgia and race and socioeconomic status disparities again put low-wage workers of color at increased risk for COVID-19 infection. At the forefront of our attention should be the compounding risks faced by these frontline low-wage healthcare workers of color. This group lacks an established title but can be known as auxiliary or allied health care workers. They work in hospitals, clinics, and home healthcare settings, with occupational roles ranging from nursing assistant to housekeeper.

Healthcare workers are recognized for their tireless work throughout the pandemic. Yet, we’ve gravely overlooked low-wage healthcare workers of color because they're primarily non-degree holding and serve in roles with low occupational prestige. There are 3.5 million low-wage workers in both healthcare and social service industries nationwide and to bring it closer to home, there are three healthcare workers per 100 residents in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs metro.This population fills a large portion of the state workforce. With Georgia reporting nearly 5000 new cases per day, we must re-evaluate how we protect this critical, at-risk population.

These workers are overlooked. Lack of occupational prestige, poor access to PPE, and racial inequality have contributed to limited protective oversight of these frontline workers. They receive limited PPE usage training, and face higher COVID-19 hospitalization rates in Atlanta compared to high-wage healthcare industry counterparts. These compounding factors create overlapping systems of discrimination and inequity.

Intersectionality is a key theme here as most frontline low-wage healthcare workers are people of color. To break down the demographics further, low-wage essential health care workers are heavily women of color, and immigrants make up 26% of home care and elderly personal aids.

People of color are overrepresented in low-paying jobs and are more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19. These occupations are highly saturated by low-wage Black, Hispanic, and immigrant workers, whose annual income is far below the Georgia annual median income. The average healthcare support salary in Georgia is $27,837, far below Georgia's median annual income of $58,700. Black and LatinX communities in Georgia also have substantially lower vaccination rates than whites. A recent study reported that health care workers of color were more likely to care for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, more likely to report using inadequate or reused protective gear, and nearly twice as likely as white colleagues to test positive for COVID-19.

Not every frontline, low-wage healthcare worker is a person of color, and we should advocate for protecting all healthcare workers' well-being. However, Black Americans are likely to have health risks associated with severe COVID-19 infection and were 1.6 times as likely as Whites to live in households containing health-sector workers. With a large pool of workers filling these essential healthcare support roles, it's imperative to advocate for a group that we've failed to prioritize and protect throughout the pandemic.

State policymakers are responsible for addressing racial health disparities and systemic barriers as a top priority now that the pandemic has highlighted the stark reality of health inequities in Georgia. Improved access to PPE and proper training should be mandated for workers. Detailed national guidelines on PPE use exist, but statewide efforts should ensure the dissemination of information on accessing and properly using personal protective equipment.

While the Georgia Department of Public Health offers COVID-19 guidance for healthcare providers, these are generalized rules to adhere to in a clinical setting. Public health informatics, such as flyers, with instructions written in multiple languages on proper PPE usage and safety precautions, should be disseminated in healthcare settings and made visible to healthcare personnel across various settings. With the highly transmissible Delta variant, it's more important than ever to get vaccinated. On the individual level, do your part by getting vaccinated and wearing a mask in high-risk environments, such as healthcare settings.