Read on Twitter
Why COVID should not be the beginning and end of medical activism in America (aka why it is not unprofessional or controversial to fight for social justice as a medical professional) - A Thread
The recent article in the Journal of Vascular Surgery opened the floor for conversations about what it means to be unprofessional in medicine. And while people were rightfully incensed about the sexism inherent in saying posing in swimwear and provocative clothing was
unprofessional (go #medbikini), little attention was paid to the fact that metrics included under potentially unprofessional behavior included: controversial political comments, controversial social topics and controversial religious comments [ https://www.jvascsurg.org/article/S0741-5214(19)32587-X/fulltext]
Professionalism is often used to police the speech of trainees and professionals, to quiet dissenting opinions, and protect the images of institutions when they are called out for wrongdoing. However, we cannot discuss medicine in a vacuum, and the social determinants of health,
(where you live, your access to healthy food, clean water and healthcare, your level of health literacy, among many other things), is taught in medical schools across the country precisely because they have been proven to be a predictor of one's health.
As we all know, COVID-19 has laid bare the health disparities that numerous studies, papers and texts have reported on for years. Black, Latinx and Native American people have been disproportionately represented in COVID-19 cases & deaths. These populations are disproportionately
represented in fields considered "essential". Many of these workers are among the country's lowest paid, and cannot afford to shelter in place, lest they lose not only their livelihoods, but access to healthcare and their homes.
A KFF report found that 1/3 Americans are deemed essential workers, and 1/4 essential workers have had trouble affording basic household expenses during the coronavirus pandemic. The lack of a national paid leave/paid sick policy forces many families to choose between seeking
care or working while sick and risk spreading illness to others. This burden is particularly felt among working mothers and single parents, who are being forced to drop out of the workforce due to limited childcare options. [NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/insider/virus-working-moms.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/06/upshot/pandemic-chores-homeschooling-gender.html]
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/06/upshot/pandemic-chores-homeschooling-gender.html]
It is not enough to make signs thanking the grocery store clerks, delivery drivers, sanitation workers and healthcare workers. These performative actions do nothing to address the patchwork "safety-net" these workers rely on to meet their needs.
This safety net, which already was not robust, is beings lowly gutted in the middle of a pandemic where access to a home to shelter in place in and medical care is imperative to flatten the curve and ensure the recovery of those who are ill.
Medical professionals are uniquely situated to advocate for their communities precisely because they can make the linkages between medical science and what they see in their communities, and make that linkage clear to politicians who are unable or unwilling to see these linkages.
Medical professionals treat the people in the community, are a part of the community and are taught to advocate for their patient's healthcare. We can disagree on what the solution to healthcare may be, or have conversations about where and how the money should be spent,
but the conversation should never end at the discovery of these disparities. We have had that conversation for far too long, and people's lives are depending on the fact that something changes now, and soon. #MedTwitter
Here is a link to the KFF article, for anyone interested: https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-policy-watch/taking-stock-of-essential-workers/
