Amid an ongoing pandemic, Black healthcare workers are more important now than ever. In an effort to increase diversity within the healthcare industry, Morehouse College of Medicine has engaged in a $100 million partnership with CommonSpirit Health to train more Black physicians.
“Of the 21,863 students entering medical school in 2019, only 1,626 were Black — and only 619 were Black males. This statistic is alarming for many reasons, not the least of which is the impact of patient care. Studies show that Black patients have better outcomes when treated by Black doctors," Morehouse School of Medicine President Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice said.
Through this partnership, the Morehouse College of Medicine will create five regional campuses in new markets. Furthermore, the duo will build graduation medical programs in at least 10 new markets.
“We believe that educating and training more physicians who are underrepresented in medicine will not just have a positive impact on Black Americans and Black communities, but all communities. We are starting with a focus on Black physicians because of the disparity of the number of Black physicians ... has not moved significantly over the last 20 years and so we believe that this is an opportunity to do something and be able to measure the impact immediately," Rice added.
More information regarding the partnership will be available in the new year.
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