How Beaumont is working to create a more equitable health care environment

TROY, Mich. (FOX 2) - April is National Minority Health Month.

The month is dedicated to increasing awareness about disparities in medical care. For instance, some Black people shy away from seeking treatment because of mistrust that stretches back to the unethical Tuskegee Syphilis Study in the 1930s.

"When I went to the doctor I was trying to tell the doctor that my back hurt and everything, and instantly he was like, ‘Sounds like you got Covid,’" Bryane Childs said.

Childs, like many others, said he wasn't feeling heard by his health care provider.

Beaumont Health has a dedicated approach to create a more equal and equitable environment for patients and staff.

"We work in the hospitals to try to create awareness, educate, and advocate for our patients," said Chantia Bobo Harden, a physician assistant, and chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee at Beaumont Troy.

One way Beaumont is achieving that success is through its Diversity Day program where staff learn about other cultures by seeing situations through someone else’s eyes.

"Simulate walking in someone else’s shoes, and so when you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes you have a little bit more empathy," Harden said. "If we can educate our physicians on the background of our patients, Beaumont can provide the best care for our patients."

Beaumont officials are also working to hire a person fully dedicated to this mission.

"We are actually actively working to hire a chief Diversity, equity, and Inclusion officer, and that person will be over Beaumont and Spectrum Health, and that's going to allow us the opportunity to do exactly what we need for patients and community," Harden said.