According to the American Medical Association, racism is now recognized as a threat to public health. The AMA pointed to the effects of systemic discrimination and the long-lasting structural and social impacts that result. “The AMA recognizes that racism negatively impacts and exacerbates health inequities among historically marginalized communities. Without systemic and structural-level change, health inequities will continue to exist, and the overall health of the nation will suffer,” said AMA Board Member Willarda V. Edwards in a statement.
“Declaring racism as an urgent public health threat is a step in the right direction toward advancing equity in medicine and public health while creating pathways for truth, healing, and reconciliation,” she continued. The AMA has implored physicians and doctors to look into how racism impacts the way care is administered. Noting, however, that "although the primary drivers of racial health inequity are systemic and structural racism, racism and unconscious bias within medical research and health care delivery have caused and continue to cause harm to marginalized communities and society as a whole."
Moreover, the AMA explained how police brutality contributes to this public health threat. “The data make clear that police brutality – one manifestation of systemic racism – has significant public health consequences for impacted communities, particularly among the Black community,” said board member Willie Underwood III. “The AMA is dedicated to actively working on dismantling racist policies and practices across all of health care, and we call on stakeholders to make systemic changes to protect public health and combat the detrimental effects that racism and communal violence have on the health of the nation.”
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