This is a follow up to the last post on pandemic disparities in racial mortality in Cambria County. Other trends in health outcomes and social variables are provided by County Health Rankings. There was too much trend information on race to fit into one post. For this post I will look at trends in Cambria County pandemic racial disparities in clinical variables in 2020 and 2021.
Preventable Hospital Stays
| Group | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| Overall | 5,919 | 5,762 | 5,518 | 3,251 | 3,429 |
| White | 5,773 | 5,779 | 5,505 | 3,239 | 3,328 |
| African American | 6,653 | 6,154 | 7,326 | 4,036 | 9,936 |
The rate of preventable hospital stays is defined as “Rate of hospital stays for ambulatory-care sensitive conditions per 100,000 Medicare enrollees.” The the overall rate increased slightly for Cambria County in 2021 while it held steady for Pennsylvania and the U.S. For African Americans the rate improved in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, but increased by 146% in 2021. At the same time preventable hospital stays increased by 2.7% for whites in the county.
Mammography Screening
| Group | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| Overall | 40% | 42% | 45% | 43% | 46% |
| White | 40% | 42% | 45% | 45% | 46% |
| African American | 38% | 31% | 38% | 45% | 33% |
Mammography screening improved for African Americans in 2020 to those seen among whites. The percentage decreased in 2021.
Flu Vaccinations
| Group | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| Overall | 39% | 41% | 43% | 45% | 42% |
| White | 39% | 41% | 43% | 46% | 42% |
| African American | 34% | 36% | 36% | 31% | 33% |
Medicare enrollee flu vaccinations rates for African Americans have hardly changed for African Americans in the county while they improved for white residents. The gap between the groups increased in 2020 and 2021.
These outcomes do not fully explain the decrease in life expectancy for African Americans in Cambria County. Pandemic racial disparities in Cambria County provide some clues. Next I will look at social and economic disparities by race that provide additional clues.