It is with a heavy heart that I have watched the news unfold with the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and untold others whose lives were not held carefully by the country that promised equality for all of its citizens.
Black Lives Matter, and the human experience of living, loving, working and connecting should not be diminished, limited or taken away. Accepting anything less robs each of us of our humanity.
Injustice and inequality are never acceptable, and the loss of life we’ve not only witnessed but that has gone unrecognized and unreported must change. As we face what some have called the dual pandemic of Covid-19 and systematic racism, inequality has been brought to the forefront of a global conversation.
Inequality can be seen in many different aspects of health and healthcare. For example, the CDC notes “current data suggest a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups.” Reporting also suggests bias when it comes to Black patients and the treatment of Covid-19, while there has also been a disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on Black healthcare workers in the U.S.
In parallel, research from the US Department of Health and Human Services shows that the healthcare system itself is underrepresented in all but two healthcare professions (counselors and social workers). With more than 25 years in healthcare education, Carrus has served numerous students of color as they have changed their lives by changing or up-leveling their careers.
As a company, Carrus exists to provide opportunities for individuals to improve their lives. We are extremely proud to serve students of color and we stand with them in calling for justice and reform. We are committed to being part of positive change in a productive and helpful way.
At a time when the world has an opportunity to re-think equality, we want to support all efforts to make the world a safer and more inclusive place. We know that diversity and inclusion are important. We have spent the past several weeks listening to our employees, customers, and the community – taking the necessary time to plan for the future and make changes. We have work to do, and we are starting by setting up an annual commitment to investing in organizations that support and promote diversity in our community.
In the last few years, we’ve made a conscious effort to improve our diversity and inclusion efforts but we recognize there is so much more to do. We’re continuing our commitment to ensuring our colleagues, students, and community members feel safe and celebrated, and we’re working together to overcome inequality. We are committed to creating more equitable access to quality healthcare education and experiences.