CHICAGO — The American Medical Association (AMA) today released the following statement about discussions in the runup to the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) meeting on the organizational plan to embed health equity and advance racial justice.
“The health equity plan that was released by the AMA in May was developed and informed by policies passed by our House of Delegates, as well as by physicians and experts in health equity,” said AMA President-elect Gerald E. Harmon, M.D. “It is grounded in science and based on the evidence that shows the harmful effects, such as avoidable illness and early death from racism, sexism and other systems of exclusion and discrimination, on the health of individuals and their communities.
“Response to this important plan runs the gamut— some say it goes too far, and others say not far enough. But social inequities and their consequences for families, health care, and our nation’s future are far too great for AMA to be a passive bystander when our mission is to improve the health of the nation. The existence of racism within medicine and society, both historically and present day, is not up for dispute. The only question is how we, as physicians, will lead in confronting the health implications of it.”
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Editor’s note: On May 11, the AMA announced its plan to embed health equity and advance racial justice. Details about this plan are available in the press release and AMA Viewpoint by Dr. Harmon.
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The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
