National Health Care for the Homeless Council CEO Appointed to the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force

Bobby Watts, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, is one of 12 leaders nationwide appointed to the Biden-Harris Administration’s COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, the White House announced this week.

In response to the appointment, Watts said:

“I am deeply honored to be appointed to the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force and bring the expertise of the Health Care for the Homeless and Medical Respite Care communities, which have been heroically and creatively meeting the needs of people without homes and other vulnerable populations during the greatest pandemic public health crisis of the past 100 years.

I am especially heartened by the Biden-Harris Administration’s focus on equity. As a health administrator and epidemiologist for more than 25 years, I have seen that we cannot have high-quality health services or a public health response without equity. Quality care for some is not ‘public’ health. In addition to mass education, testing, and vaccination efforts, we need tailored solutions and accurate, tailored messages delivered by trusted ambassadors so that no one is left out or left behind. By ensuring that vulnerable populations are served well, we make our nation’s health better for everyone.”

The National Health Care for the Homeless Council supports the 300 Health Care for the Homeless and 100 Medical Respite Care programs that serve more than one million patients experiencing homelessness each year. Grounded in human rights and social justice, the NHCHC mission is to build an equitable, high-quality health care system through training, research, and advocacy in the movement to end homelessness.