Emergency Department Anti-Racism Taskforce

Vision:     At Penn Medicine, we strive to build an antiracist emergency department across the clinical, educational, and research missions, and lead best practices locally and nationally. We strive to improve patient care and decrease experiences of racism and discrimination among patients and employees.

Mission:        As members of Penn Medicine, we are committed to being a knowledgeable resource and to upholding a time-honored reputation of compassion and dedication to our patients and family members, as well as evolving to meet the necessities of public health. We are advocates, educators, caregivers, and innovators.          

Racism, discrimination, and prejudice manifest in many aspects. At Penn Medicine, we are leaders in our community. We achieve our goal of an antiracist health system by developing responsive departmental policies, clinical innovations, educational growth opportunities, and collaborative research projects. We strive to model and advance an antiracist agenda throughout the continuum of healthcare.

ARTF Working Groups

One of the working groups the ED Anti Racism Task Force formed is Advancement. 

Here is what they have done:

Goals:

  • Determine what departmental structures are already in place for advancement and mentorship
  • Provide mentorship for ED staff in working toward their career goals

Steps taken thus far:

  • Met with nurse managers of PPMC ED and HUP ED, along with the Talent Acquisition team, to discuss current and future methods of recruiting more diverse staff
  • Worked with PPMC Unit Council to initiate mentorship program for new nurses, techs hoping to pursue nursing, and staff interested in becoming APPs

If you have any ideas of projects the ED ARTF should or could be working on please send them to us and we'll get the idea to the working group we've established.  If you would like to volunteer to help with any projects, we'd love to have you.  

We are currently looking for volunteers to host our meetings. Reach out to us if you would like the opportunity. 

Please feel free to contact us with your ideas or items of interest: click the button below to reach us. Thank you!

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Anti-Racism in Medicine Series

  • Episode 223 | Episode 14 – Race, Place, and Health: Clinician and Community Perspectives Tuesday, February 15, 2022

    This episode highlights how racism manifests in the built environment, and how community and individual-level efforts can mitigate these inequities. This discussion is the second of three planned conversations around the connections between race, place, and health. Our latest episode welcomes first-time guests Dr. Eugenia South, a physician-scientist and Vice Chair for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, and Noelle Warford, Executive Director of the grassroots organization Urban Tree Connection. Hosted by team members Naomi Fields and LaShyra Nolen,our guests present their community-based work in Pennsylvania and lay bare the connections between race, place, and health.

    Listen to the PODCAST by clicking the link to the site.

  • Episode 213 | Episode 13 – Centering Asian Americans: Racism, Violence, and Health Tuesday, December 21, 2021

    This episode is about racism faced by Asian-Americans, why it often goes unrecognized, and how we can work to rectify these wrongs. This discussion is hosted by Jazzmin Williams, Rohan Khazanchi, MPH, and Jennifer Tsai MD, MEd, as they interview Thu Quach, PhD, an epidemiologist and galvanizing leader who has led the Asian Health Services (Oakland, CA) in addressing racial disparities in COVID-19, and Tung Nguyen, MD, a Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and a nationally-renowned health disparities researcher. Our inspiring guests help us to contextualize struggles faced by Asian-Americans even as they outline and energize within us a path forward – together. 

    Listen to the PODCAST by clicking the link to the site.

    Content Warning: This episode contains themes of violence, trauma-induced mental health concerns, and brief mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255, that’s 800-273-TALK.

  • Episode 209: Antiracism in Medicine Series | Episode 12 – Our Land is Our Health: Addressing Anti-Indigenous Racism in Medicine Monday, November 22, 2021

    This episode is about the ways we can combat anti-Indigenous sentiments and actions in our efforts to promote anti-racism in medicine and public health. This discussion is hosted by our new team members Alec Calac and Victor Lopez-Carmen, as they interview Dr. Tom Sequist, member of the Taos Pueblo Tribe and Chief Patient Experience and Equity Officer at Mass General Brigham, and Dr. Sophie Neuner, proud member of the Karuk Tribe, and a Research Associate at the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health. Together, these two phenomenal guests help us understand the structural and individual challenges of Indigenous peoples in academic medicine, public health, and beyond.   

    Listen to the PODCAST by clicking the link to the site.

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    The next Mixed Media Review will be in March 7, 2022  to review and discuss Voting Rights. Stay tuned for more information and the reading selections. 

     

    Please click the link below to read topical articles from Associated Press

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