Author: Dr. Malika Siker

City officials revealed recently that Milwaukee’s African American community is being disproportionately harmed by the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19. At this time, a majority of the city’s cases and deaths involve members of our African American community. Public health officials are racing to track and identify the sources responsible for the spread of these cases as well as launching a public awareness campaign targeted to communities at greatest risk. Milwaukee institutions and civic leaders are looking to collaborate, motivated to address these disparities. While it is unclear what is specifically driving these COVID-19-related findings, we know that health disparities...

The arrival of COVID-19 to Milwaukee brought a great deal of uncertainty in its wake. Beyond the obvious health risks is an economic vulnerability that has not been experienced before. Many people feel that the routine of daily life has been sidelined, because COVID-19 has shut down educational institutions, entertainment venues, public events, places of business, and leisure activities. Dr. Malika Siker was a recent guest of the GoGedders Podcast on the subject of the coronavirus. She offered suggestions for people seeking ways to cope, and those eager to help others. These 5 tips expand on that advice. 1....

If you are concerned that the measures taken to curb the COVID-19 pandemic are excessive and alarmist, here is my pitch to those with a business mind to better understand the urgency of the situation. Our hospitals are managed like businesses and are not designed to have a ton of extra equipment and staff for operations. We run near capacity under normal conditions. This makes sense from a business perspective. It is not economical to have a lot of equipment sitting around depreciating, or the responsibility of paying additional staff who are not needed to provide care or service....