What does justice have to do with medicine? And where do compassion and humanity fit in?
These were the central questions considered at the 4th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Health Justice Symposium, held via Zoom on Friday, Jan. 19, at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
chairperson Medelle Briggs Maronson, MD, MPHThe hour-long symposium, led by an emergency medicine physician and director of health equity, diversity and inclusion at UCLA Health, will address community-driven efforts to address health disparities and systemic factors that impede progress. focused on the importance of an equity-based approach.
“Health equity is one of the stepping stones on the path to justice,” said Dr. Briggs Maronson.
But systemic issues such as a lack of access to health care and healthy food in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color stand in the way of this justice, said panelist and executive director of the Englewood-based association. Derek Steele pointed out. Social Justice Learning Institute.
True justice requires “removing barriers to people living full and free lives,” Steele said. “That means making sure that people have fair wages and fair jobs. This makes sure that people have access to health care. This makes sure that people have access to quality housing and quality work. It will ensure that they have access to information such as higher education.”
Although the challenges may seem overwhelming and insurmountable, there is much that individuals can do to advance the cause of justice and equity in health care, panelists said.
“Something as simple as meeting a patient can make a big difference,” says Dr. Cynthia Gonzalez, an assistant professor at the University of Los Angeles. Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
Steele added that a moment of intention to be compassionate and see the person in front of you as a unique, complex, and valuable human being can be the catalyst for profound change in an individual's life.
“Justice does not arrive. Justice is a constant striving.”
Dr. Cynthia Gonzalez
However, panelists acknowledged that institutional and systemic pressures can get in the way.
Dr. Briggs-Maronson said health care workers are generally caring people, but “often get distracted.”
“In fact, when we become distracted, we begin to become less human-centered, less family-centered, and less community-centered,” she says.
Providers can then forget to ask patients to share more about themselves and their lives and how they can work together to improve their health.
“We have to reflect on what drives us, what drives us, and really show acts of love and kindness to the person in front of us,” Briggs said. Dr. Maronson said. “Each one of us can do that.”
These types of actions can spur systemic change, Steele said. “If we are all very intentional about the randomness we are introducing into people's lives and do it in the spirit of actually causing significant change for the better, we will …Leadership is a decision, not a position.”
Building health equity is both a top-down and bottom-up effort. It requires organized efforts and community involvement. Whether between a doctor and a patient or a clinic and the community, these encounters are most effective when they are two-way, Dr. Gonzalez says. “Meeting is about learning from each other and building a team.”
Organizationally, UCLA Health is part of a consortium of health systems. healthcare anchor network, is committed to addressing social inequalities that lead to poor health outcomes. Additionally, UCLA Health aims to reduce health disparities by investing in under-resourced communities and promoting inclusive hiring practices.
Dr. Gonzalez said continued efforts are needed to work toward equity and justice.
“Justice does not come,” she said. “Justice is a constant struggle.”
