Statement Regarding the Recent Murders of Black Men
February 6, 2023
AURORA,CO- As the nation reacts to another senseless murder of a Black man at the violent hands of police, we are reminded of Fannie Lou Hamer’s words, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
We are sick, ailed by the racism that poisons our healthcare system.
We are tired, exhausted by the barrage of police violence.
We are sick and tired of the systemic white supremacy that murders our Black men.
But we are NOT discouraged or disempowered.
We condemn not only the action of the Memphis Police Department, but the very existence of policing in our community. In 2021, Aurora PD violated federal and state laws through a pattern of racially biased policing and excessive force. A consent decree mandated changes like updating use-of-force policies and diversifying officers. But the most recent deadline on January 13th was missed and IntegrAssure’s (a contractor monitoring the consent decree’s process) latest report describes Aurora police’s “apparent reluctance" to look into use of force incidents when policies are not violated. According to Mapping Police Violence, police have killed 37 people, 4 of them Black, in Colorado so far in 2022. Black people are 3.5x more likely to be killed than white people in Colorado.
We have tried body cams, we have tried training, we passed countless laws across the nation. But the truth is policing will not work. Policing will not work, regardless of the race of the officers, until the systems of white supremacy that dehumanize Black people and sanction violence against the Black community are dismantled.
Therefore, we call on faculty, staff, and students to use their power to advocate for radical change to policing in our community, including: eliminating shoot-to-kill policies, restricting the authority of police in favor of community solutions, permanent dismissal following any use of force violations, and ending monetary restrictions under the qualified immunity ban to ensure police are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law for civil rights violations. Furthermore, as there is no role for policing in healthcare, we advocate for the dismissal of police from our associated hospitals and clinical spaces.
In the words of the ACLU, “It’s past time to end the disparate, ineffective and violent policing of communities of color, and the constant surveillance, targeting and harassment of Black and Brown people. We must stop relying on police to respond to issues related to poverty and disinvestment, which leads to more frequent unnecessary and aggressive actions by law enforcement towards community members. It’s time for us to reimagine the role of police to be far narrower, while investing in supportive, community-based solutions for public safety independent of the criminal legal system”
Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil rights activist. The police assaulted her, beating her while in police custody. And the healthcare system failed her, detecting her breast cancer far too late, and sterilizing her without consent when she sought treatment. Nearly 60 years ago Fannie declared that she is sick and tired of being sick and tired. Let us not go another 60 years with generations of Black people killed by our police and our healthcare system.
With love and support for our Black community, The University of Colorado School of Medicine Chapter of White Coats for Black Lives
For more information on anti-racism activism, join our listserv
If you are interested in adding your signature to this statement, please click here
DISCLAIMER: This statement does not represent the views of the University of Colorado
Corrections: the original statement said "police have killed 37 Black people in Colorado so far in 2022." The correct statistic is "police have killed 37 people, 4 of them Black, in Colorado so far in 2022."
Madeline Lockhart, CHA/PA Student, CU-Anschutz
Medha Gudavalli, MS4, CU-Anschutz
Rachel Ancar, MS4, CU-Anschutz
CJ Ernstrom, MD Student, CU-Anschutz SOM
Allie Nielsen, MS1, University of Colorado
Brian Carter, MS3, CU-Anschutz
Danae Mitchell, PREP Scholar CU-Anschutz
Sarah J Ellsworth, MS3, University of Colorado SOM
Grace Akatsu, 1st year MD PhD student
Nikita Deng, MS3, university of Colorado
Christy Angerhofer, University of Colorado
Sameer Andani, Medical student, University of Colorado
Avalon Swenson, MS3, CU School of Medicine
Courtney Olson, MS3, University of Colorado
Kalee Maricle, CHA/PA-S2, CU-Anschutz
Sanaa Ahmad, MD, IM Resident, Wayne State University
Fady Wassef, Student of Medicine MS1, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Emily Scott, Internal Medicine Chief Resident, CU-Anschutz
Shilpa Tummala, MS4, CU-Anschutz
Ndea Carter, MSU Denver Alumni
Taylor Heap, MS1, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Mary Wang, MS4, CU-Anschutz
Sonika Bangarala, Student of Fairleigh Dickinson University
Praveen,student of engineering, St josheps college of engineering in chennai
Ronald A Yang, MS3, CU-Anschutz
Eleanor Lorton, MS4, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Kylie Conway, MS1, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Grace Perry, Medical Student, CUSOM
India Bonner, MS2, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Anna Hasche-Kluender, 1st year MD PhD student
Allison Avery, PA-S3, CU-Anschutz
Chloe Briney, PhD Candidate, CU-Anschutz
Romany Redman MD, Primary Care. CU SOM Alum
Amelia J. Davis, MD, IM resident, University of Washington
Amira Otmane, MS3, CU-Anschutz
Leah Bowen, MS4, CU-Anschutz
Ry Hemond, MS1, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Magdalena Reinsvold, MD, MPH, Family Medicine
Mackenzie Garcia, MD MPH, Resident Emory University Internal Medicine
Tien To, MS1, CU-Anschutz SOM
Jessica Gerlach, CHA/PA-S2, CU-Anschutz
Deidre Tomlinson, pre nursing student
Julia Schaffer, Colorado University School of Medicine
Heather Tanksley, Sr. Research Coordinator, CU Anschutz
Katherine Littlefield, Sr. PRA, CU Anschutz
We have coordinated with the School of Medicine and have received approval to move forward. The statement link is here with the text copied below. We wanted to point out that this statement comes from a student group and does not represent the views of the University of Colorado. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you so much for elevating this statement.
A Letter for healthcare equality in support of Colorado’s African-American patients, physicians, and community-based organizations.
Dear Governor Jared Polis and Colorado Legislators:
The state of Colorado, as well as the nation, is facing a major public health crisis that has been fueled by institutionalized racism. African-American people remain frustrated by systemic racism and the barriers it creates to justice within state and federal regulatory agencies.
What’s more, the African-American community noticed that pleas for assistance are not thoroughly examined and remain unresolved. This letter is drafted on behalf of the Mile High Medical Society — a minority-led medical society — to reiterate that the needs of African-American patients must be safeguarded and equally protected under the law.
Also, we want access to equitable healthcare services and facilities, as well as adequate care delivery that will provide better health outcomes for the African-American community. As a medical society, we want support from the Colorado government to obtain and maintain medical practices in diverse Colorado communities that will be free of implicit bias, and discrimination.
After 400 years, the all-cause mortality and morbidity rates among the African-American population remain higher than in White populations nationally. This has resulted in 74,402 excess African-American deaths annually. Overwhelmingly, medical and system racism coupled with significant risk factors — like a lack of access to quality foods, housing, transportation, and other inequities — have led to an inequitable healthcare delivery system for people of color. These circumstances prevented African-Americans from having healthy and productive lives.
The Mile High Medical Society declared racism a public health crisis, and we strongly implore your office and the legislators to do the same. Racism, whether perpetuated in systems or by individuals, unequivocally leads to health inequities, especially in the African-American community. This dangerous and immediate public health issue needs to be addressed at all levels of government — most notably at the state level, where resources and funding can have the most impact. The Mile High Medical Society recommends that your office declare to form a cabinet-level Racial Equity Task Force that will prioritize the advancement of racial equity. The Task Force needs to proceed in a prescripted manner and should include the following:
1. Prioritize the advancement of equitable policies and initiatives that address the dismantling of racism, ensure accountability in state and county departments, and identify who will have the resources necessary to do the work.
2. Focus on healthcare outcome inequities, including the State’s response to COVID-19.
3. Address social determinants of health around education, neighborhood environments, employment opportunities and economic stability, and legal considerations.
4. Appoint African-American physicians to State (i.e., CDPHE) and Local organizations, including DORA, to help level the playing field and engage with your administration to improve healthcare delivery in Colorado.
Mile High Medical Society members urge the State of Colorado to take expeditious action to deconstruct and retool the institutions that contribute to these significant health disparities and racism using a multi-disciplinary approach. Colorado’s African-American population, who have been severely impacted by the scourge of racism and all its harmful byproducts, need decisive and impactful assistance to reach the health equity attained by the rest of the State’s population or risk falling further behind.
As a minority-led medical society, accountability, comprehensive planning, independent public-facing data, and funding are necessary to ensure appropriate methods and sustainable resolutions are implemented to improve healthcare outcomes for African American patients in Colorado.
Respectfully,
Johnny E. Johnson, MD
President of the Mile High Medical Society
Physician Marriage and Relationships Study
Researchers at the University of California at Irvine are studying physician marriages and relationships. In particular, we are looking at the impact of physician specialty, stage of training, practice setting, etc., on marriage happiness and success.
In order to collect data and analyze interesting findings, we are depending on our colleagues across the nation to take and distribute the short, <5-minute survey in this email. We are hoping that you can forward this survey to physicians (e.g., practitioners who hold an M.D., D.O., or M.B.B.S. degree) in your organization.
If any questions about the survey arise, please feel free to contact me at the email address below. Thank you so much for your time and help: we are optimistic that the study can prove insightful for the profession and are earnestly grateful for your contribution to that goal.
Take Survey Here ->
Mile High Medical Society Statement Addressing Roe V Wade
The Mile High Medical Society, as a group of minority doctors, thinks that the Roe V Wade reversal is an egregious and reckless allowance of the government (Supreme Court Justices) interference in the patient-physician relationship. We as a medical society support the right of people to make decisions regarding their own bodies and oppose the ruling of the United States Supreme Court. The decision could criminalize healthcare for underrepresented minority patients and exacerbate existing racial and healthcare disparities. We as a minority medical society remain steadfast in our mission to address the needs of underserved communities and will not overlook repeated limits of women’s right to choose and have the ability to access to safe and informed healthcare. Our call to action promotes the principle of reproductive rights and justice for all women. Until this year, Colorado Law did not state anything about abortions meaning it would have remained legal without Roe simply because there was no law banning it. During the most recent legislative sessions, Democrats rallied to pass the REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EQUITY ACT. It is not just about the State of Colorado but there are people all over the county that are going to be affected by the reversal of Roe V Wade. The Mile High Medial Society will not stand for this injustice towards women and we want to see reform at the nation’s highest court. The passing of the Reproductive Health Equity Act in the State of Colorado and in other states will allow and codify the right of women to get an abortion.
Black History Month 2022 DOCTRESS OF MEDICINE – Rebecca Lee Crumpler
Did you know about the first African American female to receive her medical degree in the U.S., Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler? Although her story has become more well known, there still have not been any accurate pictures accompanying her stories. However, her story is very important to American history.
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was born free, Rebecca Davis, in Delaware on February 8, 1831. She was raised in Pennsylvania by an aunt that was the neighborhood medical caretaker. Crumpler later attended an elite school in Massachusetts, West Newton English and Classical School. She was a “special student in mathematics.” During 1852-1860 she worked as a nurse in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The doctors she worked with recognized her talents and recommended her to medical school. Prior to going to medical school, on April 19, 1852, she married Wyatt Lee.
She began school in 1860 at the New England Female Medical College, a college that had been established in 1848. This time period in history was highlighted by 54, 543 physicians in the U.S. Of these, only 300 were women and none were Black women. Blacks were frequently denied admission to American medical schools. Her medical studies were also interrupted by the Civil War. However, she was able to resume her course work with a tuition award from a fund established by an Ohio abolitionist, Benjamin Wade. She completed her course work in 1864.
On February 24, 1864, Rebecca and her two white classmates went before four faculty members for their final, oral exam. At the end of the examination the faculty did recommend her to the Board of Trustees, but had some reservations. They felt she had demonstrated slow progress and had “deficiencies”. On March 1st, the Trustees, who identified her as Mrs. Rebecca Lee, negress, conferred the doctress of medicine degree. Apparently, only 35% of all women who attended the school completed the degree program. Dr. Rebecca Lee (Crumpler) was the first and only African American graduate of the program.
After graduation, on May 24, 1865, she married Arthur Crumpler. Her first husband had died in 1863 from tuberculosis. She remained in Boston with her second husband for a short time. After the Civil War ended (1865), Dr. Crumpler moved to Richmond, Virginia and worked with the Freedmen’s Bureau along with other Black doctors, to provide medical care to freed slaves. These former slaves were often denied care by White physicians. Dr. Crumpler saw this as true mission work. It was not unusual for minority females going into medicine to provide care for underserved communities.
She returned to Boston by 1869 and had her only child in 1870. In 1880 the Crumplers moved to Hyde Park. Her experiences prior to returning to Massachusetts led her to publish the Book of Medical Discourse in 1883. This is one of the first know pieces of medical writing by an African American and is considered by some to be an early guidebook on public health.
Dr. Crumpler died March 9, 1895. To this day, there are no pictures or sketches of Rebecca Crumpler that have been identified. However, a Boston Daily Globe Article from 1898 described her as a tall, light brown woman who was very pleasant, an intellectual, and an indefatigable church worker. What a wonderful story of our culture and impact on American history by this trailblazer.
Here is a short Youtube video that highlights Dr. Crumpler
(1) 4) Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler - Unsung Black Heroes - Black History 2021 - Bing video
Sources:
Changing the Face of Medicine | Rebecca Lee Crumpler (nih.gov)
Rebecca Davis Lee Crumpler (1831-1895) • (blackpast.org)
Celebrating Rebecca Lee Crumpler, first African-American woman physician | PBS NewsHour
Portrait of a Young Leader
India Bonner is a first-year medical student at University of Colorado. She is very committed to the health and wellbeing of the Black community. She epitomizes what we hope for in our future doctors. We are sharing an excerpted version of her Dr. King Day presentation to the Community College of Aurora. MHMS
Today I want to share with you a little bit about my journey to medical school. My journey to medical school was untraditional and had some unexpected twists and turns. But I still made it! I’m here today to let you know that even though the path to your goal may not be how you envisioned it, you can still succeed if you persevere. I’m framing my talk today around a quotation from Martin Luther King Jr.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
I knew I wanted to become a doctor since I was in high school and worked towards becoming one when I was in undergraduate school. At this point, the only reason I wanted to become a doctor was because I liked science and wanted to help others. With this as my motivation I went through the process of taking the MCAT- which is the Medical College Admission Test, completing my pre-requisite classes, and applying to schools. I didn’t have any doctors in my family or any doctors that I knew closely, so I wasn’t prepared for how difficult this process would be or all the resources I needed to build a strong application. As a result, after a year of working on my application, it wasn’t strong enough for me to be accepted into medical school.
At this point I was at a crossroads. I could choose to enter a career instead, like so many of my friends were doing and ‘start my life’. Or, I could regroup, and go through the painstaking medical school application process again. I ultimately knew that being a doctor was something that I really wanted to do! So I regrouped, met with my advisor, and started the process again. There’s a quote from Biggs Burke that really helped me at this time, and I hope it can help some of you too - “Don't be afraid to start over. This time you're not starting from scratch, you're starting from experience”.
I spent another year completing a post-baccalaureate certificate in health sciences. Not only did this help me score higher on the MCAT than I did before, but it strengthened my science foundation so much that my medical science classes now are not as difficult as I was expecting. It was also in this post-baccalaureate program that I had my first Black science teacher. He had practiced dentistry before teaching. It was at this point that I learned how great it felt to have a leader who shared my identity as a Black person. That made me understand the impact I’d have on my Black patients as a doctor.
I also worked in the TRIO Student Support Services-English as a Second Language Program here at CCA during that time (as you can see in the middle photo on the slide, some of my old t-shirts). Here I learned more about the impact I wanted to make as a leader and how to be an advocate for others. I learned that as a doctor, I want to be an advocate for my patients’ health and connect them to the resources they need for success.
Finally, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Denver Health, Denver’s safety net hospital. I learned that I wanted to work with and advocate for uninsured /underinsured patients.
When I applied to medical school again, I knew exactly what impact I wanted to make in medicine and what communities I wanted to advocate for. My motivation for becoming a physician became so much more than enjoying science and wanting to help others. When I received my acceptance call last year I was elated. I was so grateful that I didn’t give up on myself.
I matriculated into medical school last Summer (there’s a photo from my white coat ceremony in the upper left). Now I’m involved in so many things to support the community. I’m working with Dr. Richardson in Colorado Black Health Collaborative to improve the health of Black Coloradans. I’m speaking out against injustice against Black people as co-president for White Coats for Black Lives (the bottom left photo is from a Die In event we had to protest against police brutality), and am advocating for my diversity in healthcare as a member of Students for a National Healthcare plan (the large photo is me speaking about healthcare bias at the state capitol) and as a leader in Community and STudents Against Healthcare Racism (CSTAR), to expose children from underrepresented groups to different professions in healthcare.
Without the twists and turns in my path to medical school, I wouldn’t have known what type of difference I wanted to make in healthcare and how important community was to me. My hope for you all is that you don’t give up on yourself even when the path to your goal becomes unlike you pictured. The challenges you face along the way can help you grow as a person and identify what type of difference you want to make.
What We Love About Pharmacy Hilda Bi Ndikum, PharmD MPH
Pharmacists are visible leaders in our community who are entrusted with the health of patients and their families. They serve individual communities and societal needs
Pharmacists work in collaboration with other health care professionals to maximize the health outcomes of communities and improve mediation adherence
Pharmacists provide optimal management of medication for chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma amongst others. The collaboration with other healthcare professionals ensures the best outcomes for patients and their families
Pharmacists are culturally competent providers who communicate effectively to evaluate many factors that affect a patient’s ability to take medication including diet, lifestyle, transportation, language barriers, and much more
Pharmacists are accessible in all healthcare settings: inpatient, ambulatory, community, regulatory, industry, long-term care settings, and much more. They are available to see patients at convenient times and are licensed to provide immunizations and other points of care services in the community
Pharmacists are a part of major innovations in medication therapy-such as pharmacogenomics and nuclear pharmacy. Pharmacists are involved in a major state of the art technology in dispensing, monitoring, and managing mediation administration
Pharmacists promote the good of every patient in a caring, compassionate and confidential manner
Pharmacists respect and value the abilities of colleagues and other health care professionals
HB21-1232 Would Widen the Health Disparity Gap Among Communities of Color
The Mile High Medical Society (MHMS) was founded in 2015 because we saw an urgent need for Black doctors in the Rocky Mountain region. The number of Black doctors and Black medical students has dramatically decreased in recent years – not only in Colorado but across the country – at a time when we need them the most.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that there is still more work to do to close the disparity gap in health care among communities of color. The Mile High Medical Society works every day to eliminate these disparities through advocacy, education and meaningful health policy.
That is why MHMC is concerned about HB21-1232 – the Colorado State Option – that is currently under consideration in the Colorado State Senate.
This bill would hurt the very communities that proponents intend to help. Fixing our health care system in order to help those most at risk access cost-effective care requires strengthening our existing system, and attracting and retaining more doctors to the field.
African Americans are less likely than white Americans to use a primary care doctor for routine care; instead, they frequently rely on emergency rooms for their medical needs. But racial disparities exist even in emergency room care. A 2019 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that Black and Hispanic patients were more likely to be transported to hospitals that serve more poor or uninsured patients rather than the nearest emergency room.
The drastic rate cuts proposed in HB21-1232 puts emergency room care at risk. Emergency room doctors will be driven out of the state, making it even more difficult for African Americans to receive care.
Many physicians within the Black medical community know firsthand the impact that lack of quality health care and racial health disparities can have. Some of us grew up in households where preventable medical issues turned into chronic conditions because proper health care was inaccessible, unaffordable, or both. It’s what brought us to crowded emergency rooms late at night. Ultimately, it’s what led many of us to the field – to give care to those who need it most.
Colorado needs doctors. Between retirement from the profession and burnout fueled by the pandemic, the Centennial State is facing an alarming shortage of physicians. HB21-1232 would make Colorado’s doctor shortage worse by mandating participation in state option. This is a direct threat to communities of color and their access to care.
We simply cannot provide proper medical care for our most underserved populations without a strong workforce – where doctors are abundant, and patients have the ability to get the medical attention they need when they need it, from medical professionals that they can relate to. The danger of HB21-1232 is that is drives doctors out of Colorado instead of incentivizing them to practice here.
MHMS is proud of the work we do to mentor and shepherd the next generation of Black physicians. The Mile High Medical Society has given millions of dollars in full-ride scholarships, and we help train the some of the best and brightest medical students at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Center – one of the top level one trauma centers in the country.
The students we work with have compassionate hearts, and are eager to go out into their communities and serve those in need. They are our future cardiologists, neurologists, obstetricians and pediatricians – those who will help us build a stronger health care system and close the racial disparity gap.
If we want to create a better future for aspiring Black doctors and ensure communities of color have access to high quality and affordable care, Colorado lawmakers should re-think their approach. HB21-1232 is not the solution to improving our health care system, it is its own problem.
Dr. Johnny E. Johnson is an OB/GYN in Denver and the president of the Mile High Medical Society.
Mile High Medical Society Takes Aim to Vaccinate the African American Community
On Saturday February 13th, the Mile High Medical Society and the Colorado Black Health Collaborative joined forces to provide critical support to the New Hope Baptist Church COVID-19 vaccination event. In conjunction with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center the initiative was designed to vaccinate elderly members (age 65 and older) of underserved communities and racial minorities in the greater Denver area.
Vaccines were administered successfully to 685 mostly African American and Hispanic/Latin American members of the community, who braved frigid temperatures and icy roads to receive the first shot Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations. Trained volunteers from the UCHealth system administered shots at five vaccine stations in the Family Life Center of the New Hope Baptist Church. Mile High Medical Society members and students, as well as Colorado Black Health Collaborative members were valuable volunteers at the event. Dr. Johnny E. Johnson, President Mile High Medical Society, presided over the event, and provided medical expertise to patients. Dr. Terri Richardson served a multi-purpose role.
The distribution of a large number of vaccinations marks a successful effort to provide vaccinations to the African-American community, which is at particularly high risk for contracting and dying from the COVID-19 virus, compared to White and Asian populations. The COVID Racial Data Tracker, a collaboration between the COVID Tracking Project and the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, has pooled together race and ethnicity data on COVID-19, that shows as of February 17, 2021, nationwide African Americans have died at 1.4 times the rate of White Americans. The CDC reports that racial disparities in health outcomes are driven by social determinants such as neighborhood conditions, educational attainment, economic stability, healthcare access, and social contexts. Further analysis shows that African Americans have received only 4% of the distributed vaccinations, despite being nearly 12% of the population, according to the CDC.
Adding to the challenge, African American communities have historically been understandably leery of healthcare initiatives and of the greater healthcare system, leading to vaccine hesitancy challenges that had to be overcome in order to gain the trust of African Americans and allow for vaccination. This initiative will decrease morbidity and mortality in the African American community from the COVID-19 virus.
This initiative for vaccine distribution marks the largest effort in Colorado to vaccinate African Americans through the African American Church community. It is unique, and is the first time that the African American community, through New Hope Baptist Church, was given the opportunity to direct a major health initiative, from its administration to its completion. Volunteers from the Mile High Medical Society and the Colorado Black Health Collaborative worked in conjunction with members of the New Hope Baptist Church to organize the mass vaccination event, by screening incoming patients according to the guidelines for the State of Colorado’s Vaccination program. This was also a great mentorship opportunity where our Mile High Medical Society students were able to witness first-hand and participate in serving the community. In these unprecedented times, the African American medical community was able to meet the challenge of health disparity in the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in the midst of a pandemic.
On March 6th, the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine will be administered at New Hope Baptist Church. Although this will be the final dose of the vaccine, efforts will continue to achieve the goals of reaching herd immunity by vaccinating 70% of the African American population by December 2021. Mile High Medical Society will work to keep the community informed about the ongoing changes and trends related to the healthcare response to the COVID-19 virus. God-willing, we will be able to restore a sense of normalcy in this community, and in our lives.
Mile High Vaccine Statement 2021
Mile High Medical Society is an organization of Black health care professionals and students, that serves as a resource around health issues pertinent to our community. COVID-19 vaccination is such an important issue that we want to share information and our recommendations. We hope this will increase your understanding and confidence.
This country and the medical establishment have a long legacy of discriminating against and exploiting Black Americans, and this memory remains deeply embedded in the collective consciousness of the Black community. Many Black Americans do not trust their healthcare providers, hospitals or the healthcare system to act in their best interests. Trust is not only a fundamental element to a therapeutic doctor-patient relationship but also a vital factor in a patient’s decision-making to seek-help earlier before diseases advance beyond treatment possibilities.
Vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. stems from systemic racism and lack of trust --- from narrow concerns about specific vaccines to broad coalitions “anti-vaxxers” who reject all vaccines. The root of their sentiments, most without scientific basis run deep. Some of the factors (suspicion) are financial motives of the vaccine industry, mistrust of scientific evidence, and government institutions.
Despite efforts to educate, to reduce prejudice and disparities there is still hesitancy in taking the vaccine for COVID-19. This reluctance is unfortunately, widespread.
We must have a fresh approach and more innovative thinking and behavioral research to build trust and complement authoritative and data-oriented immunization. A lot has been written on the importance of known, trusted messengers of information including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, other health care professionals. But more importantly, community thought leaders like ministers or heads of important community groups must step up and be in the room and take part in the conversation of vaccination and its efficacy and safety.
Taking the COVID-19 vaccine must be stressed by all interested parties on how important the community must be pro-vaccine. We must let the community know how safe, effective, and how trustworthy the information on vaccines is from healthcare providers. The choice is yours, but Mile High Medical Society strongly encourages you to consider taking the vaccine now to level the playing field when it comes to this pandemic.
If you have questions reach out to us on our website- https://milehighmedicalsociety.org/
(RETF) Racial Equity Task Force
The Mile High Medical Society, a chapter of the National Medical Association, has declared racism a public health crisis and are imploring the State of Colorado to do the same. Racism, whether perpetuated in systems or by individuals, unequivocally leads to health inequities, especially in the Black community. This dangerous and immediate public health issue needs to be addressed at all levels of government, most importantly at the state level where resources and funding can have the most impact.
There is clear evidence that racism and negative health outcomes are tightly linked in the Black US population. This creates an environment that exacerbates current social determinants of health leading to the further degradation of an already poor health outcome. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded these issues and the Black mortality rate has suffered more than any other population in Colorado.
the Governor’s declaration would be coupled with recommendations around the foundational work that needs to proceed it. This includes:
the formation of a cabinet-level Racial Equity Task Force (RETF) who will prioritize the advancement of equitable policies and initiatives addressing the dismantling of racism, ensuring accountability in state and county departments and who will have the resources necessary to do the work
focusing on the healthcare workforce and health outcome inequities including the State’s response to COVID-19
addressing social determinants of health around the topics of education, neighborhood environments, employment opportunities and economic stability, and legal considerations
The Mile High Medical Society urges the State of Colorado to take expeditious action to deconstruct and reengage the institutions that contribute to these significant health disparities and racism using a multi-disciplinary approach. Colorado’s Black population, who have been severely affected by the scourge of racism and all its negative byproducts, needs decisive and impactful assistance to reach the health equity attained by the rest of the State’s population or risk falling further behind.
Racism as a Public Health Crisis
It all begins with an idea.
After the death of George Floyd, MHMS was moved to do something beyond being saddened by the moment. MHMS has developed a document to activate a declaration of Racism as a Public Health Crisis. We have connected with the Colorado Center on Law and Policy (CCLP) to maximize the effort. Allison Neswood and Christina Yebuah, our CCLP partners, have been greatly appreciated in this endeavor.
About the CCLP