A brief history of racism in healthcare

Jul 23, 2020

A medical staff member works in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients at the Robert Ballanger hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois near Paris during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in France, April 29, 2020. Seine-Saint-Denis, a mainly working class and multiracial suburb, was already lacking doctors and resources before the coronavirus crisis and has seen a bigger spike in mortality than neighbouring Paris. But despite being understaffed, teams at Robert Ballanger hospital reorganized to prioritize emergency health and have worked long hours, giving everything to fight the virus. Picture taken April 30, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes - RC25JG94KZCV

The COVDI-19 pandemic has highlighted racial inequality. Image: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Harry Kretchmer

Senior Writer, Formative Content

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Jazmine Raygoza's dresser in her room holds the incentive spirometer used to prepare for her Lap-Band surgery in Denver June 18, 2011 along with CD's, hair clips, makeup, hairspray and her cellphone. After trying multiple diets and exercise, Jazmine, 17, decided on the Lap-Band treatment with the encouragement of her mother, who recently had a gastric bypass herself. About 17 percent of American kids and teens are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Picture taken June 18, 2011. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY) - GM1E76M1DUC01

Spirometers measure lung capacity. In the past their readings were used to justify discrimination based on ‘racial difference’. Image: REUTERS/Rick Wilking

In America, black and Latino communities have suffered from higher coronavirus death rates than white groups. Image: NY Times

The 'Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male' used 600 Black men. Image: CDC

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