SENTINEL COMMUNITIES INSIGHTS Spotlight on COVID-19 Tampa, Florida July 2020 sentinel communities insights: spotlight on covid-19 tampa, florida Table of Contents Community Overview 3 COVID-19’s Community Impact 4 The Community Response to COVID-19 5 The Role of Health Equity 6 What’s Next 7 References 8 Photos: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara (Volunteers with Feeding Tampa Bay, cover); Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP (The Ybor City district in Tampa, p. 3); AP Photo/Chris O'Meara (Downtown Tampa street during COVID-19, p. 7) 2   |   The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation © 2020   |  July 2020 The Sentinel Communities report series is produced in partnership with RAND Corporation. sentinel communities insights: spotlight on covid-19 tampa, florida A s the nation confronts the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the legacy of racial inequities that the disease highlights, there is an opportunity to review how diverse communities across the United States are planning for, mitigating, and recovering from the pandemic’s effects. Here, we take a deeper look at Tampa, Fla., exploring the impact of and the city’s response to COVID-19 based on information available through early June 2020. Community Overview About Tampa Population: 399,700 Tampa,2,3 the county seat of Hillsborough County, is a large metropolitan area surrounding American Indian: Tampa Bay, a natural harbor connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast of Florida. 0.3%* Asian: 4.2% Tampa has made significant efforts and progress over the last two decades to implement Black: 24.2% more mixed-income housing and rebuild public housing infrastructure.3 As a result, Hawaiian, Pacific residential segregation based on race/ethnicity has steadily declined since 2000.4 Islander: 0.1% Hispanic or Latino: 25.7% However, racial disparities in income remain. The median annual income for Black residents ($30,772) and Hispanic or Latino residents ($38,010) is significantly lower than that of white White, not Hispanic: 44.6% residents ($59,390).5 Access to employment and health care remain a challenge for some of Two or more races: Tampa’s low-income residents due to lack of affordable housing around the city’s center and 3.8% inadequate transportation infrastructure.3 High school graduate: 87.3% Florida has not expanded its Medicaid program. Uninsured, low-income individuals who Median income: are ineligible for Medicaid or the federal health insurance marketplace can apply for the $50,909 Hillsborough County Health Care Plan.2 While approximately 20 federally qualified health Age 65 and older: 12.3% centers in Tampa provide a health care safety net, Tampa’s high uninsured rate makes it Persons in poverty: difficult for lower-income residents to access health care, and to prevent and manage chronic 19.5% illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. Hillsborough County has one Health Resources and Uninsured: 13.7% Services Administration (HRSA)-designated medically underserved area and several medically underserved populations, including those in East Tampa, West Tampa, and Southwest Tampa. * Percentages of population by race/ethnicity may add to more than 100 percent because categories are not mutually exclusive.1 3   |   The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation © 2020   |  July 2020 sentinel communities insights: spotlight on covid-19 tampa, florida COVID-19’s Community Impact Florida had over 60,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the end of May.6 COVID-19 has not only had an impact on the physical health of Tampa’s residents, but it has taken a toll on their COVID-19 has not economic and mental health as well. only had an impact on the physical The unemployment rate in Hillsborough County rose to 12.3 percent at the end of April, up health of Tampa’s from 2.9 percent in February.7,8 Just under one-third (29.3%) of the jobs in the Tampa Bay region residents, but it have been affected by the pandemic, including jobs in industries such as mining, oil and gas, transportation, employment services, travel arrangements, leisure and hospitality, and retail.9 has taken a toll on their economic and The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, which provides a range of support programs and services to mental health as well. community members, noted that many people initially sought help related to general stress and concerns for their friends and family, but over time topics have shifted more toward financial concerns.10 In April, the center was receiving 700 or 800 calls per week specifically related to COVID-19, a significant jump from about 14 calls related to the virus in late February.10 Ongoing monitoring will be important for understanding how these economic and mental health challenges are being tracked and addressed. COVID-19 in Hillsborough County Total number Total cases: 3,027 of cases Cases per 100,000: 206  0 Percent of state's  <20 cases: 4.5%  20–95  96–220 As of June 13, 2020  221–337  338–762  763–1,976  1,977–26,239 Map was obtained from the CDC website on June 13, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/ coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/county-map.html?state=FL 4   |   The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation © 2020   |  July 2020 sentinel communities insights: spotlight on covid-19 tampa, florida The Community Response to COVID-19 On March 27, Hillsborough County enacted a safer-at-home order that encouraged residents to stay at home as much as possible, with nonessential businesses asked to close if they March 27 couldn’t maintain social distancing.11 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order Hillsborough that went into effect on April 3, closing essential activities and directing residents to remain County enacts a safer-at-home order indoors.12 On April 18, schools were declared closed for the remainder of the school year. that encourages residents to A number of policies have been implemented at the state level to provide relief to stay at home as much as possible. individuals affected by the pandemic: Nonessential businesses are asked to close if l For example, evictions for all residents affected by COVID-19 were blocked and mortgage they can’t maintain payments were suspended. social distancing. l Florida’s Department of Agriculture activated its Summer BreakSpot website to help families April 3 find locations to receive free meals for children.12 Gov. Ron DeSantis issues a stay-at- home order, closing l In addition, the state distributed $5 million to local governments through the State Housing essential activities Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program, which Tampa received in early March, to help people and directing residents to remain with housing assistance.13 indoors. On May 4, the state of Florida began reopening its nonessential services and activities. April 18 However, Hillsborough County deviated from state actions by remaining closed until May Schools are closed 15,14 likely driven by concerns around the continued spread of COVID-19 within one of the for the remainder of state’s harder-hit areas. the school year. The city of Tampa assembled an Economic Relief Task Force to proactively identify business May 4 relief efforts and alleviate the burden of COVID-19. In partnership with the Tampa Bay Florida begins reopening its Chamber and the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, the mayor’s office created a fund called One nonessential Tampa: Relief Now, Rise Together, that offers critical financial assistance to the community’s services and most underserved residents and business owners.15 activities. However, Hillsborough County deviates Tampa also devised multiple efforts to inform and engage residents, such as using TikTok from state actions by remaining closed videos to reach Generation Z16 and hosting informational webinars called “Real Talk on ‘Rona” until May 15. in collaboration with Tampa Family Health Centers.17 Within law enforcement, the Hillsborough County sheriff permitted 164 inmates convicted of low-level, nonviolent crimes to be released from the Hillsborough County jail to reduce the chance of the spread of the disease.18 5   |   The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation © 2020   |  July 2020 sentinel communities insights: spotlight on covid-19 tampa, florida According to a Tampa Bay Partnership survey fielded to gauge resident sentiment, half of Tampa Bay residents rated Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s response to COVID-19 as “excellent” or “very good.”19 Further assistance was provided by nonprofit organizations, such as: l The University Area Community Development Corporation and United Way Suncoast distributed funds to human services agencies from its $1.3 million COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund.20 l As part of the nationwide Hospitality for Hope Initiative, at least three hotels in the Tampa Bay area opened to allow people to quarantine while recovering from COVID-19.21 While Tampa and l The University of South Florida’s College of Public Health launched the COVID-19 Hillsborough County Associated Symptom Surveillance System to determine how the virus will progress in have leveraged many potential hot spots in Tampa.22 local resources and implemented l The Shimberg Center for Housing Studies at the University of Florida is collecting COVID-19 data, specifically tracking workforce and housing indicators.23 important policies to quell the impact Despite a lack of collaboration among various players within the community’s health of COVID-19, the sector prior to the pandemic, a new collaborative of hospitals and health care systems, sustainability of the COVID-19 Florida West Coast Regional Data Exchange, was formed to give health these efforts as the care leaders access to real-time data and to help assist patients in finding care.24 county and state reopen are yet to be While Tampa and Hillsborough County have leveraged many local resources and implemented important policies to quell the impact of COVID-19, the sustainability of determined. these efforts as the county and state reopen are yet to be determined. The Role of Health Equity Prior to COVID-19, the Hillsborough County Health Department had been working to address health inequities through its Office of Health Equity. Despite significant action by other health sector players, there has been no clear guidance or action from the Office of Health Equity during the pandemic. As of May, the Tampa area had not experienced the same racial disparities in COVID-19 cases for Black residents that has been evident in other areas across the country.25 In Hillsborough County, white residents have accounted for 49 percent of COVID-19 cases, while Black residents have made up 21 percent and Hispanic residents have made up 28 percent,26 which roughly parallels the ethnic/racial breakdown of the region. Tampa’s efforts to desegregate and improve housing quality for many low-income residents and communities of color may have helped to mitigate the spread. 6   |   The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation © 2020   |  July 2020 sentinel communities insights: spotlight on covid-19 tampa, florida Compared to other cities around the country, Tampa’s physical layout, lack of high-rise apartment buildings, and lower population density has naturally facilitated social distancing for residents. However, data from the Tampa Bay Partnership’s resident sentiment survey showed that Black residents were: l More likely to be very concerned about COVID-19’s impact on themselves or their households (76% compared to 51% overall) l More likely to be concerned about getting sick with COVID-19 (83% compared to 69%) l More likely to have been laid off (34% compared to 15% overall).19 While Tampa has created additional mixed-income housing in the city, many residents live outside of the city center and rely on public transportation. In a community with generally limited public transportation options before the pandemic and reduced service hours for public transportation as of April 1,27 many individuals likely faced additional challenges going to essential jobs and accessing health care as a result of transportation barriers. What’s Next As both the state and county reopen, it will be important to monitor the role of various actions taken by the city and county governments, as well as major players within the health sector, to ensure that the community’s most vulnerable will not be disproportionately affected by the pandemic’s effects for years to come. 7   |   The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation © 2020   |  July 2020 sentinel communities insights: spotlight on covid-19 tampa, florida References 1 U.S. Census Bureau. QuickFacts Tampa city, Florida. QuickFacts 2019; https://www. 15 City of Tampa. One Tampa: Relief Now, Rise Together. 2020; https://www.tampagov.net/ census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/tampacityflorida/PST045219. Accessed June 13, 2020. relief-now. Accessed June 25, 2020. 2 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. RWJF Culture of Health Sentinel Community 16 Musulin K. Cities tap TikTok to squash Gen Z’s COVID-19 misconceptions. Snapshot: Tampa, FL. 2017. SmartCitiesDive. 2020. https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/cities-tap-tiktok-to- squash-gen-zs-covid-19-misconceptions/575317/. Accessed June 25, 2020. 3 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. RWJF Culture of Health Sentinel Community Portrait: Tampa, FL. 2018. 17 City of Tampa. Real Talk on ‘Rona. 2020; https://www.tampagov.net/emergency- management/covid-19/realtalk. Accessed June 25, 2020. 4 Frey W. Census shows modest declines in black-white segregation. Brookings. 2015. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2015/12/08/census-shows-modest- 18 Marrero T. Hillsborough sheriff releases 164 county jail inmates to reduce coronavirus risk. declines-in-black-white-segregation/. Accessed June 25, 2020. Tampa Bay Times. 2019. https://www.tampabay.com/news/hillsborough/2020/03/19/ hillsborough-sheriff-releases-164-county-jail-inmates-to-reduce-coronavirus-risk/. 5 Median Income in the Past 12 Months. 2018. https://data.census.gov/cedsci/ Accessed June 25, 2020. table?q=Tampa,%20Florida&g=1600000US1271000&tid=ACSST5Y2018. S1903&hidePreview=false&vintage=2018&layer=VT_2018_160_00_PY_ 19 Downs & St. Germain Research. Resident Sentiment Study. Tampa Bay Partnership;2020. D1&cid=DP05_0001E&t=Income%20and%20Poverty. Accessed June 25, 2020. 20 Coronavirus Florida: United Way Suncoast distributes COVID-19 funding. Florida Headline 6 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases in the U.S. 2020; https://www.cdc. News. 2020. https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20200429/coronavirus-florida- gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html. Accessed May 20, 2020. united-way-suncoast-distributes-covid-19-funding. Accessed June 25, 2020. 7 Hillsborough County, FL Unemployment Rate. https://ycharts.com/indicators/ 21 Hollenbeck S. Tampa Bay hotels are on the frontline in the battle against COVID-19. ABC hillsborough_county_fl_unemployment_rate. Accessed June 25, 2020. Action News Tampa Bay. 2020. https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/coronavirus/ tampa-bay-hotels-are-on-the-frontline-in-the-battle-against-covid-19. Accessed June 8 Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Monthly Data Releases. Workforce 25, 2020. Statistics Data Releases 2020; http://floridajobs.org/workforce-statistics/workforce- statistics-data-releases/monthly-data-releases. Accessed June 10, 2020. 22 Tracking COVID-19 in Tampa Bay. College of Public Health News 2020; https://hscweb3. hsc.usf.edu/health/publichealth/news/tracking-covid-19-in-tampa-bay/. Accessed 9 Manning M. Here’s who will be hurt the most in Tampa Bay by Covid-19. Catalyst. 2020. June 25, 2020. https://stpetecatalyst.com/heres-who-will-be-hurt-the-most-in-tampa-bay-by- covid-19/. Accessed June 25, 2020. 23 Shimberg Center for Housing Studies. COVID-19 & Housing Resources. 2020; http:// www.shimberg.ufl.edu/covid-19. Accessed June 12, 2020. 10 Newborn S. Florida Matters: Coronavirus, Isolation And Mental Health. WUSF Public Media. 2020. https://www.wusf.org/florida-matters-coronavirus-isolation-and-mental- 24 Brezina-Smith V. Tampa General, AdventHealth and other Florida hospitals come health/. Accessed June 25, 2020. together to share coronavirus data. Tampa Bay Business Journal. 2020. https://www. bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2020/04/30/tampa-general-adventhealth-and-other- 11 Hawley C. Hillsborough approves ‘safer-at-home’ order; in effect Friday night. FOX13 florida.html. Accessed June 12, 2020. News. 2020. https://www.fox13news.com/news/hillsborough-approves-safer-at-home- order-in-effect-friday-night. Accessed June 25, 2020. 25 Morrow E. Why Tampa Bay’s African American community hasn’t seen high numbers of COVID-19 cases. 2020; https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/ 12 Treisman R. South: Coronavirus-Related Restrictions By State. NPR. 2020. https:// coronavirus-african-american-community-tampa-bay/67-05c4a8f2-1c8c-4446-a1fe- www.npr.org/2020/05/01/847415273/south-coronavirus-related-restrictions-by-state. 083138289eba. Accessed June 12, 2020. Accessed May 2020. 26 Protection FDoHDoDCaH. Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance 13 Sadowski Coalition Statement on the Florida Legislature Fully Funding Affordable Housing Dashboard. 2020; https://fdoh.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index. [press release]. Tallahasee, FL: Sadowski Housing Coalition,, March 7, 2020. html#/8d0de33f260d444c852a615dc7837c86. Accessed May 14, 2020. 14 Lanning J. Hillsborough County Services to Remain Closed Until May 15. Spectrum News. 27 City of Tampa. COVID-19 Updates/FAQ. 2020; https://www.tampagov.net/emergency- 2020. https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2020/04/29/hillsboorugh-county- management/covid-19-faq#city. Accessed May 12, 2020. extends--safer-at-home--orders-until-may-15. Accessed June 25, 2020. 8   |   The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation © 2020   |  July 2020