Racism impairs the health of Americans. It has always done so, and it continues to do so today. In 2020, Covid-19 killed as many Americans as died in World
War II—but not equally: Indigenous, Black, and Latinx Americans were 260% to 280% more likely to die. The same racial/ethnic inequities former HHS
Secretary Margaret Heckler once said have “existed since accurate federal record-keeping began,” continue to plague us today.
Most infants born in the US are children of color, and in 2045 just over half of Americans will be people of color. Yet URM students face a reinforcing web of
residential segregation, economic inequality, educational disparities, mass incarceration, racial bias, microaggressions, and internalized oppression. This is
illustrated by the connection between intergenerational trauma and low rates of Native American/Alaskan Native physicians (0.56% vs 2% of the US
population), lack of growth in African-American male physicians from 1977 to 2015, and the inadequacy of the Latino physician supply in Washington State.
Racial/ethnic provider balance improves access to care, patient-provider communication and trust, and satisfaction for racial/ethnic minorities. Just as the
business literature demonstrates that diverse teams are more competitive, URM clinicians provide the skills, talents, and perspectives critical for excellent
healthcare delivery.
In 2018, WPMG’s Board of Directors declared equity as its newest corporate value. In 2020, Kaiser Permanente emphasized our commitment to anti-racism.
HCCP manifests this commitment.
Racism impairs the health of Americans. It has always done so, and it continues to do so today. In 2020, Covid-19 killed as many Americans as died in World
War II—but not equally: Indigenous, Black, and Latinx Americans were 260% to 280% more likely to die. The same racial/ethnic inequities former HHS
Secretary Margaret Heckler once said have “existed since accurate federal record-keeping began,” continue to plague us today.
Most infants born in the US are children of color, and in 2045 just over half of Americans will be people of color. Yet URM students face a reinforcing web of
residential segregation, economic inequality, educational disparities, mass incarceration, racial bias, microaggressions, and internalized oppression. This is
illustrated by the connection between intergenerational trauma and low rates of Native American/Alaskan Native physicians (0.56% vs 2% of the US
population), lack of growth in African-American male physicians from 1977 to 2015, and the inadequacy of the Latino physician supply in Washington State.
Racial/ethnic provider balance improves access to care, patient-provider communication and trust, and satisfaction for racial/ethnic minorities. Just as the
business literature demonstrates that diverse teams are more competitive, URM clinicians provide the skills, talents, and perspectives critical for excellent
healthcare delivery.
In 2018, WPMG’s Board of Directors declared equity as its newest corporate value. In 2020, Kaiser Permanente emphasized our commitment to anti-racism.
HCCP manifests this commitment.
