As a national medical group, Envision Healthcare "has a role to play" in fighting racial inequality and injustice, CEO Jim Rechtin said in a June 4 letter to team members.
Mr. Rechtin's letter addressed the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, as well as the anti-racism protests that have resulted. Mr. Floyd died May 25 at age 46 when he was apprehended by Minneapolis police officers and pinned to the ground for more than eight minutes with an officer's knee on his neck, according to reports from ABC News and The Scotsman.
Police officers shot and killed Ms. Taylor, 26, in her home in Louisville, Ky., March 13. In Brunswick, Ga., 25-year-old Mr. Arbery was jogging through a residential area Feb. 23 when he was shot and killed by a father and son whose parked vehicle he had passed.
The killings reveal a pattern of inequalities and injustices rooted in racism and prejudice, Mr. Rechtin said.
"The protests have been a humbling reminder that no matter what I think I've done in the past in support of diversity and social injustice, it has not been enough," he wrote to teammates.
Envision's immediate plans to address racial inequities in healthcare include "reinvigorating" its diversity and inclusion committee, and Mr. Rechtin will sign a related pledge, his letter said.
Within 60 days, Envision will "develop and publicly commit to a plan" for promoting diversity and inclusion, and within 90 days, it will launch a quality-based program for addressing racial health disparities.
Envision is soliciting input on how to support teammates affected by recent events, as well as those who have experienced discrimination, according to Mr. Rechtin.
"Racism is not an abstract thing that happens to someone else in a distant city on the television," Mr. Rechtin said. "It occurs every day in our own work environments. Every day, someone on our team, in one of our facilities somewhere around the country, is forced to deal with insensitive comments or actions rooted in prejudice. This must stop."
Click here to read the full letter.
More articles on surgery centers:
10 states with biggest health improvements amid pandemic
10 states with the most, fewest COVID-19 restrictions
Newsweek's 11 best US hospitals