Opinion Piece: Systemic Racism and Inequities in Healthcare

This is an opinion piece written by one of our principals, Dan Dunlop, in June 2020. In his writing, Dan echoes the sentiment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who famously stated that “of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” Below is an excerpt from Dan’s article. Feel free to click on the link to access the entire piece.

“The frustration and anger we’re seeing as protests erupt around our nation are deeply rooted in a long history of racial injustice. And the impact goes far beyond police officers killing innocent black men and women. In fact, when it comes to health and healthcare, racial injustice is far more lethal. To understand that, we need to look no further than the disproportionate toll COVID-19 has taken on communities of color. In the US, black Americans are dying of COVID-19 at nearly three times the rate of white people. The economic impact on black Americans has been equally disproportionate. As an industry and as a people, we have to do better. We have to commit to developing a healthcare system that is accessible, equitable, inclusive, and just. Nothing less is acceptable.”