EMERALD
EMERALD GREEN CASINO THE ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL OF THE NORTHWEST IN 2020.
>> WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT
STRUCTURAL RACISM IN THE LAW
ENFORCEMENT FIELD BUT NOT SO
MANY PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ALSO
HAPPENS IN THE MEDICAL FIELD
EVENINGS JIM NEVER TALK WITH
DR. RACHEL ISSAKA FROM FRED
HUTCH ABOUT THE ISSUE.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW
WHAT STRUCTURAL RACISM IS,
RIGHT?
SO IT'S NOT THE RACISM BETWEEN
PEOPLE.
IT'S RATHER THE RACISM THAT
BOTH AND BAKED INTO OUR SOCIETY
BY POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT
ADVANTAGE ONE GROUP AND LEADS
TO THE DISADVANTAGE OF ANOTHER
.
SO I PUBLISHED THIS ESSAY IN
JAMA ABOUT STRUCTURAL RACISM IN
MEDICINE AND I BEGAN WITH A
PATIENT ENCOUNTER AND IT WAS A
ENCOUNTER IN WHICH A PATIENT
WAS HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME
ACCEPTING THAT I TOO WAS A
PHYSICIAN THAT WAS PART
OF THEIR TEAM AND SO THEIR
RESPONSE WHEN I INTRODUCED
MYSELF BY MY NAME AND TITLE AS
OTHER MEMBERS OF MY TEAM HAD
DONE AND AFTER THEY HAD
ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WAS TO TELL
ME.
GOOD FOR YOU.
AND I REALLY USE THAT AS A WAY
TO HIGHLIGHT HOW EVEN THOUGH
THAT WASN'T INTERPERSONAL
EXPERIENCE THAT STRUCTURAL
RACISM IS REALLY AT THE ROOT
OF THAT.
AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE
WITHIN THE HEALTH CARE FIELD
FOR GENERATION WHITE MEN WERE
THE PICTURE OF WHO A DOCTOR
LOOKED LIKE.
AND SO FOR MANY PATIENTS THAT'S
STILL WHO THEY ENVISION WHEN
THEY ARE THINKING OF WHO IS
GOING TO PROVIDE THEIR CARE.
SO THAT STRUCTURAL RACISM THAT
EXISTS IN MEDICINE THAT ONLY
LEAD TO THOSE TYPES
OF ENCOUNTERS.
BUT IT ALSO LEADS TO POOR
PATIENT OUTCOMES IN WRITING
THIS ESSAY.
SO YOUR GOAL THEN WAS TO LET
PEOPLE KNOW THIS IS FOR REAL?
IS THAT RIGHT?
CELUI.
SO AFTER GEORGE BOYD WAS
MURDERED THERE WAS A MARCH HERE
IN SEATTLE WHERE OVER 10000
DOCTORS, NURSES AND OTHER
PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE HEALTH
CARE SECTOR WERE OUT PROTESTING
AND MARCHING, REALLY DEMANDING
CHANGE FOR HOW THE JUSTICE
SYSTEM OPERATES AND TREATS
BLACK PEOPLE.
BUT DURING THAT SAME TIME THERE
WASN'T CONVERSATION AROUND HOW
RACISM OPERATES WITHIN MEDICINE
AND HOW THAT TOO CAN BE TO POOR
OUTCOMES INCLUDING DEATH FOR
BLACK PEOPLE.
WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH THIS
ESSAY WAS TO BRING ATTENTION TO
THAT TOPIC AND TO CHANGE THE
CONVERSATION TO PUSH US ALL TO
BEGIN TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT
OF RACISM IN MEDICINE AND TO
URGE EVERYBODY TO DO SOMETHING
TO FIX THIS IS STRUCTURAL
RACISM.
YES, IT OCCURS THROUGH THE WAY
PEOPLE TREAT EACH OTHER BUT
IT'S NOT ABOUT A PERSONAL
FAILING.
IT'S ABOUT A STRUCTURAL A WIDE
SPREAD FAILING.
AS A WHITE MALE I ALWAYS LOOK
AT AN ISSUE LIKE THIS OR
SOMETHING SIMILAR AND SAY WHAT
CAN I DO?
HOW CAN I'D BE AN ALLY?
HOW CAN I HELP CHANGE THE
SITUATION?
>> I THINK THE FIRST THING THAT
WE CAN DO IN RECOGNIZING THAT
IT'S DUE TO POLICIES AND
PRACTICES THAT ARE IN PLACE IS
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE OUR VOICE
IS REPRESENTED AND LOCAL AND ON
THE NATIONAL POLITICAL STAGE TO
MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO
ARE WRITING POLICIES PUBLIC
HEALTH AND PUBLIC HEALTH AS
WELL AS OTHER POLICIES REALLY
ARE INFORMED BUT SPECIFICALLY
BLACK PEOPLE AS WELL AS OTHER
UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY
GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN
DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED IN
TERMS BEEFING UP THE NUMBERS
OF UNDERREPRESENTED PEOPLE
WITHIN THE MEDICAL SYSTEM.
>> WHAT CAN WE DO AS A SOCIETY
TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR MEDICAL
PROFESSIONALS LOOK MORE LIKE US
AS AS AN ENTIRE SOCIETY?
THERE ARE SEVERAL STRATEGIES.
I'M GOING TO HIGHLIGHT THREE
TODAY.
SO FIRST, INSTITUTIONS AND
ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD INVEST IN
PIPELINE PROGRAMS TO ENCOURAGE
YOUNG PEOPLE TO PURSUE MEDICAL
PROFESSIONS.
YOUNG BLACK, HISPANIC, NATIVE
AMERICAN PEOPLE TO PURSUE THESE
PROFESSIONS STARTING AT A YOUNG
AGE.
SO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND UPWARD
SECOND MEDICAL SCHOOLS THAT ARE
AFFILIATED WITH HISTORICALLY
BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
REQUIRE INVESTMENTS.
I WAS REALLY PLEASED WHEN I
READ THE NEWS ABOUT RECENT
LARGE DONATIONS FROM BLOOMBERG
AND OTHERS TO HISTORICALLY
BLACK MEDICAL SCHOOLS AND
UNIVERSITIES.
AND THERE WAS A STUDY THAT CAME
OUT THAT SAID THAT FIVE
OF TWELVE HISTORICALLY BLACK
UNIVERSITIES COLLEGES THOSE
HAVE REMAINED OPEN AFTER 1910
WHEN THERE WAS A DELIBERATE
ATTEMPT TO DEFAME THOSE
INSTITUTIONS HAD FIVE OF THE 13
REMAINED OPEN.
BUT THERE WILL AN ADDITIONAL
THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND BLACK
DOCTORS IN THIS COUNTRY TODAY
AND THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN ALMOST
30 PERCENT OF THE BLACK DOCTORS
WOULD HAVE GRADUATED IN TWENTY
NINETEEN.
AND THE THIRD RECOMMENDATION
THAT I HAVE IS THAT
INSTITUTIONS THAT RECRUIT BLACK
FACULTY THAT THEY REALLY HAVE
TO PROVIDE THE MONEY, TIME AND
SPACE TO ENSURE THAT THOSE
BLACK FACULTY MEMBERS ARE
SUCCESSFUL.
THERE ARE HIGH RATES OF BURNOUT
AMONG BLACK FACULTY MEMBERS WHO
AREN'T SUPPORTED AT ACADEMIC
INSTITUTIONS THAT LEAD TO THEM
LEAVING FOR INDUSTRY.
AND THAT'S REALLY NOT A GOOD
SITUATION.
SO WE WANT TO SUPPORT THOSE
INDIVIDUALS ONCE THEY'RE AT
INSTITUTIONS STRUCTURAL RACISM
LITERALLY A LIFE AND DEATH
ISSUE.
THANK YOU FOR POINTING IT OUT
AND TALKING TO US ABOUT IT.
>>