Last week jurors in Minneapolis rendered a verdict of guilty in the murder of George Floyd. The judgment marked an important step in acknowledging systemic racism and accountability in the judicial system. Yet, we recognize the work to address systemic racism must continue. We in health care institutions are among those obliged to do that work. 

MHA and Maryland hospitals are actively engaged in the pursuit of racial equity in Maryland. We have made ourselves accountable with the adoption of the MHA Commitment to Racial Equity last summer. By your side, we will persevere in doing the hard work, both to remove bias from the health care system and to eliminate racial disparities in the health outcomes of Marylanders.

As MHA and your organizations strive to undo implicit bias and the structural causes of poor health, I want to encourage you and your teams to participate in a new webinar series, Addressing Structural Racism: Tools and Techniques to Build Better Culture. The first program, How to Recognize and Respond to Microaggressions, is May 12. These webinars are free for all MHA members, so please urge leaders to join in.

With your partnership, we will continue to do our racial equity work transparently and be accountable for making progress.

Bob Atlas
President & CEO