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Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges shows about 5.7% of physicians in the United States identify as Black or African American, even though Black individuals make up approximately 13.6% of the overall population. In Maryland, where 31.4% of our population is Black, only 12.3% of physicians identify as Black.
For National Minority Health Month, imagine how the health of our communities could change if every Marylander had a doctor who related to their lived experiences and understood how inequity and racism impact health.
Studies show that having a doctor with the same race or ethnicity improves outcomes, including time spent together, medication adherence, shared decision-making, wait times for treatment, cholesterol screening, patient understanding of cancer risk, and patient perceptions of treatment decisions.
From my involvement in Kaiser Permanente’s Good Health & Great Hair program, which brings health care to barber shops and salons in predominantly Black and Latinx Baltimore neighborhoods, I know that receiving healthcare from a trusted messenger makes a difference in addressing health disparities.
Unfortunately, numerous reports have shown that Black people have worse health outcomes compared to their white counterparts.
Notably, Black women in America are three times more likely to die during or after childbirth. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that in 2021, the U.S. had the worst maternal mortality rate in the nation’s history. And research showed Black infants experienced the highest incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in 2020.
A path for change
There is increasing evidence suggesting when physicians and patients share the same race or ethnicity, patient care improves dramatically. In a 2018 study, Black patients had improved outcomes when seen by Black doctors and were more likely to agree to preventive care measures.
The results are clear: to improve care for Black patients, we need more Black doctors. There are steps we can take to spur change:
Recruit from underrepresented communities: Partner with community-based organizations and schools to seek and recruit individuals from underrepresented communities. At Kaiser Permanente, diversity is at the forefront of our recruiting efforts. We are building a workforce of physicians and health care providers that reflects the diversity of the patients we serve.
Provide support: Implement programs to help professionals of color grow and succeed professionally. For example, Kaiser Permanente Business Resource Groups support employees from underrepresented groups such as Asian Pacific Islanders, LatinX or African Americans, through networking, mentoring, professional development and scholarship opportunities.
Foster a culture of inclusivity: Conduct diversity and inclusion training for all employees and create policies and procedures that support diversity and inclusion in the workplace. At Kaiser Permanente, we have robust equity, inclusivity and diversity teams dedicated to providing up-to-date guidance on how to create and maintain an environment of respect and fairness.
Address unconscious bias and micro-aggressions: Organizations must evaluate their own practices for biases in decision-making by analyzing data to identify disparities and their root causes.
Kaiser Permanente’s mission has prioritized equity, inclusion, and diversity for over 75 years, and we believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce reflective of the communities we serve builds trust and makes for a better place to receive health care, a better community partner, and a better place to work.
A quarter of our physicians in the Mid-Atlantic region identify as Black, 36 percent identify as Asian and 31 identify as white. Most of our physicians and physician leaders are female, and I’m proud to say I am one of three physicians-in-chief who identify as a woman of color.
Research from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that Black men seen by Black doctors agreed to more preventive services than those seen by non-Black doctors. They also found that better communications and more trust played a role in this effect.
This research shows us that we can improve outcomes for our diverse patients when we have a diverse medical team. According to research, Kaiser Permanente patients who identify as Black live nearly 10 years longer than the national average for life expectancy for Black Americans, showing the positive impact of our diverse physician team.
It’s crucial to prioritize diversity in the medical profession and to work toward a future where every patient can feel safe, supported, and understood in their health care journey. National Minority Health Month offers a chance to renew our commitment to addressing health disparities and promoting equity.
By increasing diversity and inclusivity, we will strengthen the health of our society and bring us one step closer to achieving total health for all.
Tinisha Cheatham is a board-certified family medicine physician at the Kaiser Permanente Lutherville-Timonium Medical Center and the physician-in-chief for Kaiser Permanente’s Baltimore service area.
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