Dear Colleagues,

COVID-19 has demonstrated the breadth of exclusion faced by minorities globally and the impacts of the environments we live in on population health. We have seen people with disabilities and older populations disproportionately affected by the global crisis. Similarly, black and ethnic minorities in majority white populations have been further left behind by the global pandemic. At the same time, we have seen disruption across global supply chains of health and environmental products as well as infrastructures that are needed to keep people safe and well. However, we have also seen solutions that leverage advances in novel manufacturing methods and supply chain improvements that have validated new ways of delivering healthcare. If we are to build back fairer, then we need to ensure future medical supply chains are robust and services are accessible to all even when delivered remotely. This Special Issue seeks to learn from innovative approaches to inclusion and sustainability that have been accelerated by or originated from the COVID-19 crisis. Papers addressing how the pandemic has affected marginalized communities in accessing healthcare and how novel approaches have been trialed to increase the inclusion and/or sustainability of solutions are invited for consideration. We welcome papers focused on subjects adjacent to healthcare technology, such as those that address demand by reducing stigma or novel approaches to ensure inclusion (e.g., campaigns) and sustainability (e.g., local production of assistive technology).

Prof. Dr. Catherine Holloway
Dr. Mikaela Patrick
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• elder care
• health inequalities
• health and well-being
• assistive technology
• disability
• assistive devices
• support services
• inclusion
• digital health
• ageing in place