Letters to the Editor
jabled
Published Letters: 1
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Sad facts, but solution is in our hands
[Read the article: Race and the white coat]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Great article. There are so many different ways that biases, racial or not, enter into decisions and practices in America. The fact that people are being physically hurt, or even losing their lives, over some of these biases is really sad. And, as the article points out, racial bias in health care is not a small, isolated phenomenon. We can and should call for changes within the industry to address these problems.
But we also need to take it upon ourselves to do something about the situation. After all, should you or I count on someone else to take care of all of our health needs? The answer is no. We all need to partner with our doctors and do the best we can to take care of ourselves and our fellow citizens.
In other words, every day we have to work with each other to deal with biases. It's the Good Samaritan rule -- if we see bias at play when health and life are on the line, it's our moral responsibility, whether we're doctors or not, to do something about it. If the health care industry can be held accountable for letting patient data fall into the wrong hands, surely we can hold the health care industry responsible for letting those in need go without proper care.