News

Commentary: Medicine must ‘widen the doors’ to people of color

The COVID-19 pandemic and the death of George Floyd put a glaring spotlight on the gross racial inequities in society, which cut across every facet of life, especially health care.

The pandemic and the death of George Floyd put a glaring spotlight on the gross racial inequities in society, which cut across every facet of life, especially health care. Not only are communities of color disproportionately affected by chronic health issues and disease, but they are also facing enormous challenges in accessing health care.

Race as a public health crisis has gained the attention of every health care organization and policymakers at every level of government. Diversity and inclusion programs are being taken up with new fervor and infused with funding. All of this is important, encouraging, and long overdue.

But all too often the focus is predominantly on patients, not providers. The systemic, fundamental problem of underrepresentation among medical professionals is often overlooked.

study published in JAMA not long ago showed that the representation of Black and Hispanic men serving as physicians and surgeons has remained unchanged over the last 20 years. In the 21st century, these numbers have hovered around 2.6% for Black men and 4% for Hispanic men. The 2020 Census tells us that the U.S. as a nation is diversifying at higher than anticipated rates, but Black and brown communities are generally not seeing themselves reflected when they go to a doctor’s office or hospital.

Read more from STAT here.