I Thought We In The Medical Field Were Immune From Racism
How naive I was, and I — for one — pledge my effort to try and change this ugly reality
I thought we in the medical field were more enlightened. I thought that, given our vast amounts of education, our depth of experience taking care of patients from all walks of life, the vast diversity of the members of the medical profession, that we would be immune from racism within our ranks. I thought that, as physicians, we would know better than to harbor racism in our hearts.
How naive I was.
Like COVID-19, racism is infectious, it’s pervasive and deadly.
During emotional comments made by video to my organization, Dr. Greg Johnson — who is Chief Medical Officer of Hospital Medicine and is Black — said this:
“For me, and for people who look like me, [racism] is an every day occurrence…it is ever present.”
And when he said this, I was dumbfounded:
“The [medical staffs] that I belong to, every single one, at least one staff member has called me a [racial slur]. On the way to the hospital, I’ve been surrounded by officers for a “routine” traffic stop. I’ve had officers brandish their weapons at me, multiple times.”
This is a doctor, one of my Chief Medical Officers, one to whom I look for leadership, guidance, and wisdom. And he has had weapons brandished at him? He’s been called the N-word? I honestly couldn’t believe it.
How naive I was.
“Like COVID-19,” Dr. Johnson continued, “racism is infectious, it’s pervasive and deadly.”
I was left speechless after his video. It was so very eye-opening, and it inspired me to do what I can, as a physician within my organization, to help right the wrong of systemic racism within our society.
And first things first, I have to look at myself.
Dr. Johnson said, “Each of us individually has to educate ourselves about where race is and to acknowledge, learn about, and address your own racism. And each of us has it.”
He is right. I have to take a hard look at myself and examine where my biases are and where they come in. And I have to do everything I can to combat it within myself. As Dr. Johnson said, “each of us has it,” and the sooner we acknowledge it, the sooner we can address this human weakness.
Second, each of us as physicians needs to do what we can to address the systemic racism in our society, and to work as much as we can to address healthcare disparities in our society today. Dr. Johnson threw down the gauntlet to all us, saying that we all must “demand that there are no more healthcare disparities.” I, for one, pledge my effort to try.
At the end of his comments, Dr. Johnson said these words, breaking down into tears while saying them: “These are our patients. These are our families. And like COVID, there’s no reason that my father should be 6 times more likely to die of COVID; there’s no reason that my children should be three times more likely to die from a police intervention.” His son came into the video frame to comfort him.
He is absolutely right.
His father’s life is no more precious than my father’s life. His children’s lives are no more precious than mine. There is no reason why his father and his children should be at higher risk than mine, other than the color of their skin. This is wrong, and all of us — as physicians and Americans — must strive to end the disparities in healthcare and work to end the satanic scourge of racism that infects our society today.
I, for one, pledge my effort to try.
