To respond to prevalent racial tensions and inequities in America.

Wright Lassiter III, President and CEO, Henry Ford Health System, published a blog piece for The Zetema Project titled: Take a Stand for Humanity.

Wright Lassiter III, President and CEO, Henry Ford Health System, provides reflections of 2020 and a call to action for healthcare leaders newly elected officials in 2021. “The global pandemic, and the lack of a national response, has made 2020 a profoundly turbulent year”, Mr. Lassiter writes. “For me, one of the most striking realities of this year [2020] has been how we’ve had to reckon with the ugly, ever present racism woven deep in the fabric of our nation. The turbulence has pushed those of us in the healthcare industry, who are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve, to reevaluate and, in some cases, realign priorities. As a health system leader serving one of the most diverse regions in this country, I find myself challenging the work our health system is doing by asking how and where we can improve; how we can do more; how we can set expectations that will change the status quo. To develop innovative ways to serve more people with fewer resources while doing a better job of ensuring diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice are ingrained in our strategic framework.”

Mr. Lassiter then outlines three areas political leaders must focus on, working together with community activists and healthcare organizations to fight for social justice and health equity: 

1. Implementing a national response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, including advancing testing, surveillance, vaccinations, and treatment using scientifically based methodologies;
2. Adopting a community-based solution to the injustices and violence perpetrated against people of color with special attention to police brutality against Black men in America; and
3. Developing an affordable solution to sustaining hospitals and health systems that are uniquely positioned to deliver accessible, equitable, high quality care in a manner that enables the nation to achieve healthcare equity and eliminates disparities in outcomes based solely on social determinants, such as race, zip code, education, and income.

A link to the full blog can be found here: Take a Stand for Humanity | Zetema Project

Tianna Morgan