Statement on Racial Inequities in PALTC
In response to recent events, the AMDA Board of Directors has adopted a Statement on Racial Inequities. It notes, “The current pandemic has revealed the wide racial gaps among older adults stricken with COVID-19 in our nursing homes that is mirrored in our PALTC direct care workforce… We can and must do better as a nation, not only to heal systemic racism in the U.S., but also to honor our residents of color, and to support those who care for them.”
While there are no simple solutions, the statement offers some suggestions:
- Providing a living wage, with benefits, for our front-line nursing home workforce
- Advocating for payment reforms that serve to correct the care and quality imbalances in nursing homes with vulnerable and ethnically diverse populations
- Working to improve health promotion in brown and black communities
- Promoting research to better understand the long-standing health disparities in PALTC
In addition, the statement spells out a number of internal steps the Society will be taking in the days and weeks ahead. They include:
- The creation of a workgroup to evaluate the issue of inequality, inclusion, and diversity within the Society
- Actively working to increase diversity among our membership, particularly in our national committee and senior leadership positions
- Developing and promoting educational offerings for our members that address race, equity, and diversity, both within the facilities we serve and within the practice of PALTC medicine
- Thoughtfully examining where there is implicit, systemic bias that we are unaware of
Read the complete statement here. Please send an email to executivedirector@paltc.org if you have any feedback and/or additional suggestions. We look forward to hearing from you!