2 minute read
President’s Comments
James F. Holmes, Jr., MD, MPH
To Resolving Inequalities in Our Health System
Recent events (e.g. the tragic deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd) have again spotlighted the existing racial inequalities in the United States while the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed our continuing struggle with health inequalities. Systemic racism not only places specific individuals at a disadvantage, it frequently allows others an undeserved advantage. The effects of systemic racism are readily seen in emergency departments. Perhaps no group witnesses the impact of racial inequalities in health more than emergency providers, especially those providing care in many of our urban hospitals where underserved patients often predominate.
SAEM has been and continues to be deeply committed to diversity and inclusion. We have historically had a diverse board of directors and our current staff is incredibly diverse. Despite this, there is still plenty of work to do.
On July 22, SAEM released an updated version of our "Statement on Diversity and Inclusion." My thanks to the members of the Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (ADIEM) for their assistance with revising our prior statement. In this statement, we reiterate our prior commitment to all aspects of diversity and inclusion in our members and employees. In our update, we expand on our commitment to diversity and inclusion to reach our patients and society. I encourage everyone to read the statement in its entirety. An excerpt of the revision is here: “SAEM expects its members and employees to respect, support, and embrace the existing cultural and other differences of its membership and of the patients we serve. SAEM supports and promotes the development of education, research, and services that assist emergency departments to improve the lives and health of all, and to eliminate health inequities and opportunity disparities; SAEM actively works to eradicate bias both in health care, as well as in society, around age, race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, creed, religion, national origin, veteran or military status, immigration status, disability, or any other factor or demographic that contributes to or results in inequitable health care.”
We provide care to people from a wide array of backgrounds and perspectives. Our goal should be the same — to be inclusive of all. It is time to address and solve health inequalities. It is our shared responsibility to oppose racism and the associated inequalities, and we should openly identify and reject racism and other forms of intolerance. Through education, leadership, and research, SAEM seeks to prevent inequalities from all causes. As SAEM president, I pledge to further our commitment to diversity and inclusion. In this issue of SAEM Pulse is an article that outlines SAEM’s prior and ongoing diversity and inclusion activities. Please look at the actions SAEM is taking. All are welcome to join us in our endeavors.
ABOUT DR. HOLMES: James F. Holmes, Jr., MD, MPH, is professor and vice chair for research in the department of emergency medicine at UC Davis School of Medicine.
