It’s understandable why many African Americans don’t donate blood. At one point in our history, we were turned away. But this Juneteenth, I urge you to take equity action that could save the lives of people fighting sickle cell disease. People like 15-year-old Mikayla Sarai.
The American Hospital Association gathered leaders from Children’s Minnesota, Allina Health and M Health Fairview to discuss how Floyd’s murder and the racial reckoning that followed impacted the future of their work to advance health equity.
Kid experts from Children’s Minnesota shared their health equity experience during the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Accelerating Health Equity Conference, held in Minneapolis May 16-18.
“Our economy depends on us addressing the disparities that Black people face,” says Tiffani Daniels, leader of the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity, formed after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. We’re no longer in crisis mode, but as Daniels says, the stakes are too high not to prioritize the work.
"The biggest obstacle associated with (health equity) work is resourcing it properly. And this work must also be situated in the organization at a level where it can influence other areas...in the most appropriate and efficient way." Health equity experts U. Michael Currie and Bukata Hayes share their thoughts on what's hindering the work — and what's helping it.
Symbolic and performative gestures are no longer acceptable when it comes to Black maternal health disparities. In Minnesota the statistics are startling. In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, Brittany L. Wright and State Rep. Ruth Richardson share what’s behind the disparities and how we can all replace symbolic and performative gestures with meaningful and transformative actions. It is these actions that will lead to systemic change and racial equity in Black Maternal health.
“What can I do?” is a question I often hear. I hear it from people who want to create an equitable world, but don’t know how to start. Equity actions come in many forms. Every few months, I’m going to share one; a concrete step you can take to advance equity in your community and your workplace.
We’re excited that four of our kid experts from Children’s Minnesota will join Becker’s Hospital Review’s 13th Annual Meeting: Dr. Marc Gorelick, president and CEO; Jennifer Olson, SVP & chief operations officer; James Burroughs, senior vice president, government and community relations and chief equity and inclusion officer; and Laurin Cathey, senior vice president and chief human resources officer.
Kids need people they can look up to. People who look like them. American heroes like Roy, Nellie and Rose Mary.
We all make mistakes. In Part 2 of this blog, our kid experts discuss more common mistakes related to equity and identity.