“Healthcare groups decried the public health inequality highlighted by the dual crises of police brutality against minorities and the disproportionately negative impact of COVID-19 on nonwhite patients.” (Getty/Worledit)

by Tina Reed

“After days of protests across the world against police brutality toward minorities sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, healthcare groups are speaking out against the impact of ‘systemic racism’ on public health.

“‘These ongoing protests give voice to deep-seated frustration and hurt and the very real need for systemic change. The killings of George Floyd last week, and Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor earlier this year, among others, are tragic reminders to all Americans of the inequities in our nation,’ Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association (AHA), said in a statement.

“‘As places of healing, hospitals have an important role to play in the wellbeing of their communities. As we’ve seen in the pandemic, communities of color have been disproportionately affected, both in infection rates and economic impact,’ Pollack said. ‘The AHA’s vision is of a society of healthy communities, where all individuals reach their highest potential for health … to achieve that vision, we must address racial, ethnic and cultural inequities, including those in health care, that are everyday realities for far too many individuals. While progress has been made, we have so much more work to do.'”

Read this article in its entirety at FierceHealthcare.com