Pandemic to Prosperity: South

FOREWORD

Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean, Vice President, Fair Count

Dr. Sarah Beth Gehl, Research Director, The Southern Economic Advancement Project

A civic ecosystem has been burgeoning for decades in the South, and it now offers an opportunity to turn the tragedy of this pandemic into an opportunity to build prosperity and progress for all. Data and civic engagement will be critical. Together, the Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP), which works to lift up policies that address particular vulnerabilities in the South, and Fair Count, whose work focuses on strengthening pathways to continued civic participation, commissioned the National Conference on Citizenship to document the state of the South during the pandemic.

Health. As of October 7, Southern states led in pediatric Covid case rates, and 9 of the 12 Southern states had some of the highest pediatric Covid case rates in the nation. In September, roughly 1/3 of Americans reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, nearly triple that reported in 2019. Climate disasters are likely compounding this mental health crisis, particularly in states like Louisiana where nearly 42% report anxiety or depression. Due in part to the lack of Medicaid expansion in most Southern states, there is a troubling South/non-South disparity in health insurance coverage with 16% of working-age Southerners lacking health insurance compared to only 11% in the rest of the country. Taken together, these trends signal a need to invest in health care in Southern states to ensure an equitable recovery. 

Health Systems. 7 Southern states have refused to expand Medicaid, leaving a disproportionate number of adults without health insurance. This is particularly problematic in rural counties. Of all Southern counties with high uninsurance rates, 2/3 are rural, leading to numerous rural hospital closures across the South. In 2020, rural hospital closures contributed to Covid death rates 1/3 higher than their state average. Covid overwhelmed Southern hospitals this summer, forcing many to postpone life-saving cancer, heart, and other surgeries. Although the current Covid wave is subsiding in the South, hospital bed occupancy rates in 6 states are still higher than in 2019, indicating continued pressure on already fragile Southern health systems.

Information Access. Approximately 2/3 of Southern counties are “news deserts.” In addition, since the start of the pandemic, over 100 local newsrooms in Southern states have closed, merged, laid off, or furloughed employees, leaving rural Southerners without trusted sources of information about Covid spread and the efficacy of Covid vaccines. According to the most recent data (2019), nearly half of Southern counties have poor internet access, compared to only 16% of counties outside the South. 1 in 5 households lack a computer or internet in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas, significantly limiting access to homework in homes with K-12 students and hindering the ability to combat Covid and vaccine misinformation.

Employment. The South has 1.2 million fewer jobs than before the pandemic and 5 Southern states cut off unemployment benefits before the national average (26 weeks). Not surprisingly, in September, Southerners were more likely to report that their families did not have enough to eat compared to other Americans.  Stimulus checks were a lifeline but came sporadically. However, monthly Child Tax Credit payments in July and August reduced the child poverty rate from 15.8% to 11.5%, lessening the burden for families experiencing financial hardships.  

Child Care. 3 in 10 households with young children (<5) had difficulty finding childcare in September. This caused more than 1 million people to leave a job, half a million to lose a job, and nearly 1.2 million were unable to look for work. With more than 3 million employees quitting their jobs each month in 2021, lack of childcare is an obvious contributor to a tight labor market. Investments in childcare at scale will be critical to helping parents, especially women, rejoin the workforce and support their families.

Housing. In September, 39% of Southern adults who were late on housing payments feared eviction or foreclosure in the next 2 months, compared to 32% of non-Southerners. Federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds are being distributed more slowly across the South than nationally, with the notable exception of Virginia which has distributed more than half its allotted funding after passing a law requiring landlords to apply for assistance before evicting. Similar models should be investigated by the hundreds of other state and local rental assistance programs to help expedite the distribution of these vital funds. 

Climate Disasters. Disasters have compounded the nation’s misery since the pandemic struck. Disasters are increasing in number and intensity, particularly in the South. Since March 2020, 68% of Southerners live in a county that has had at least one disaster, compared to 55% of non-Southerners. In 2021, there have been 18 climate disasters, causing more than 1 billion dollars in damage. These disasters are compounding housing and food insecurity among marginalized residents who often are hardest hit and receive less recovery aid.

The South is a vital region, and this pandemic is worsening our existing challenges and deepening our inequities. Now, it is our time to stand together and move from pandemic to prosperity. State and local governments prioritizing projects for the American Rescue Plan can use these funds to begin to eliminate structural disparities that ultimately determine health outcomes — such as access to good jobs, quality education, safe/walkable neighborhoods, healthy foods, and quality medical care. Addressing underlying disparities now will help ensure that communities of color are not disproportionately impacted by future health crises, whether they be more aggressive strains of Covid or emerging climate threats.

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