Doctors Council Statement on yesterday’s verdict and racial justice

Doctors Council views yesterday’s guilty verdict in the Chauvin trial as a beginning measure of racial justice.  We mourn with and support the family of George Floyd.  But we need to do more.  Black lives matter.  Senseless killings and violence against persons of color and other communities must end.

We know that race matters.  Racial injustice takes many forms, including in healthcare, and who has access to what services and funding.  Racism is a public health crisis and one of the key social determinants of health.  Inequitable access and treatment to patient care services exists from childbirth throughout life.  In the COVID-19 pandemic, communities of color experienced disproportionate rates of illness, hospitalization and death.

We must address systemic racism and advocate against inequity and injustice. We must all call out any racial injustice and hold accountable those who perpetuate it in all its forms and work everyday to make this world, where we work and where we live a better, safer and more just place for all.  How any one of us is treated impacts us all.  Until Black communities and other communities of color are safe and can thrive, we will not have justice for all.

We must have communities where people can feel safe to live, can thrive and be treated equally in all aspects, including healthcare.  We should all be able to live safely, and with dignity and respect.

Frank Proscia, M.D., President of Doctors Council