The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) is issuing this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to highlight the urgent need for research on the impact of the novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic causing COVID-19 disease outbreaks and the resulting disruptions on individual and social wellbeing, health services use, and health outcomes for NIH-designated health disparity populations.
This NOSI is soliciting research in health disparity populations that -seeks to understand: 1) how state and local policies and initiatives mitigate or exacerbate disparities in health services use and health outcomes; 2) the role that community-level protective and resilience factors and interventions have in mitigating the effects of the sector disruptions that the COVID-19 outbreak causes; and 3) how behavioral and/or biological mechanisms may contribute to COVID-19 manifestations.
Outcomes of interest include, but are not limited to, the COVID-19 incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates in defined populations; substance abuse and mental health effects; impact on chronic conditions; effects on severe maternal morbidity and mortality; and influence on access, utilization, and quality of health care (including needed medical care, medical treatments, and access to prescription drugs).