Mass. medical schools join to fight racism in health care

Headquarters, in Waltham, of the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS), the oldest continuously operating state medical association in the United States. Incorporated on Nov. 1, 1781, by an act of the Massachusetts General Court, the MMS is a non-profit organization with more than 25,000 physicians and medical students as members. Its New England Journal of Medicine is among the most prestigious and influential such publications in the world.

From The New England Council (newenglandcouncil.com)

BOSTON

“The University of Massachusetts Medical School, in Worcester, and the Massachusetts Medical Society are joining other medical schools in the state to combat racism in the health-care industry and medicine. The schools released a set of principles targeting racism in medical schools and other health-care organizations.

The schools, including the Boston-based Harvard Medical School, Boston University Medical School and Tufts University Medical School, also in Boston, outlined their long-term goals in a set of four principles. The first principle relates to the need to acknowledge and learn, including from a historical standpoint, as racism in medical practice has had a longstanding presence. The second point calls on institutional leaders to visibly commit to dismantling racism, and the third call for confronting practices and policies devaluing staff and patients of color. The last of the four principles emphasizes a culture of empathy and recognition of the intersectionality of oppression.

“‘It is mission critical for the Medical Society, the DPH (Massachusetts Department of Public Health) and our state’s medical schools to lead in supporting the next generation of physicians and their patients,’ said the Medical Society’s president, Dr. Carole Allen. ‘This document outlines important steps to address systemic racism as it manifests in health care.”’