Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Why does it matter in Healthcare?

 I sat in the doctor's office aghast as he pulled out his phone and Googled "Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome" (I think he even asked me how to spell it). Then, unbelievably, he looked at me and told me that he didn't know who had diagnosed me with this but they were wrong because he couldn't see that I had one of the symptoms mentioned in the Google summary. Yes, this doctor thought that his 30 second Google search "Trumped" my doctor's extensive learning and my 40+ years of living with this condition. This was one of many times I've been dismissed, gaslit, and sent away empty handed from doctors who were paid well to help me. Why? Because I'm a disabled woman. 

 This is a well-documented issue of women's health concerns being overlooked, women's descriptions of pain being disbelieved, and dangerously, women being underserved. For example, "According to a new study, women may be twice as likely to experience a fatal heart attack compared to men," (1) That's because, "According to the American Heart Association, women are frequently underrepresented in research for cardiovascular disease, which can paint an incomplete picture when understanding how the disease affects different genders." I could write several posts on this topic, but suffice it to say that as a woman, my health care is significantly different than it is for a man.

 In addition to this, I am disabled. I deal with several challenges from chronic illness including brain fog, short term memory loss, and fatigue. These all lead to difficulties in dealing with health professionals. At times, my mobility is challenged as well, and I need to use a cane or a wheelchair. According to this study, “Persons with disabilities continue to face considerable barriers when accessing healthcare services, which negatively affects their chances of achieving their highest attainable standard of health… Profound systemic changes and action-oriented strategies are warranted to promote health equity for persons with disabilities, and advance global health priorities.” (2) That’s two strikes against me.

 My daughter and my daughter-in-law face even more challenges as they add in racial barriers and socioeconomic status. This compelling story from a black woman highlights some of the difficulties encountered by the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community in accessing healthcare. Thankfully, she had the blessing of being able to work with a Fred Hutch Cancer Center which has been diligent in their implementation of DEIA training and protocols. When reading this site from the American Cancer Society I learned that:

Black people were the least likely of all races to have an early-stage diagnosis of cancers that have a recommended screening: in the breast, cervix, and lung. Early-stage cancers are usually less complicated to treat and have better outcomes after treatment. For example, early-stage breast cancer was diagnosed in 69% of White women and only 58% of Black women.

Black people were the most likely of all races to have a late-stage diagnosis of cancers that have a recommended screening. The only exception was for late-stage prostate cancer, which was most likely diagnosed in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) men. Late-stage cancers have often spread and are more complicated to treat.

These disparities in cancer outcomes based on race, income, and geography will likely widen without attention from health policymakers and health care providers.

 In their 2024 DEI Annual Progress Report, Fred Hutch states, “Firmly grounded in our commitment to accelerate our mission, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion energizes and empowers us to excel in innovative research and care practices. Our workforce is learning and growing together in service to our patients. Our capacity for compassion and empathy toward each other and those for whom we provide care is expanding inclusively and demonstrating our purpose for data collection, measures, and programmatic initiatives. As we continue to build a unified culture of inclusive excellence, we are deepening and advancing our values in all operations of our enterprise. Our DEI strategy remains coherent, cohesive, collaborative, and consistent. We are determined to activate new practices that are promising, data informed, human centered, transformative, and principled. We continue to challenge ourselves to meet the urgency of our mission. We must and will do more!”

 When I heard today that Fred Hutch Cancer Center had decided to end its DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs under threat of losing the majority of their funding which is given by the federal government, a lump formed in my throat and tears sprang to my eyes. I still barely know what to write here as I'm so overcome. 

There’s been a lot of talk in the news lately about DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). In other places it is referred to as DEIA (where they add Accessibility). It seems to me that God’s Kingdom is all about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility. 

• Diversity: He told us to go to all nations and has called people from every tribe, nation and tongue (Revelation 7:9). 
• Equity: We all come to Christ from different places in life. Some of us were raised in the church and chose to follow Jesus at a young age. Others had to experience a great deal of darkness and pain on their road to Christ. But once we get to Him, we’re all at the same level. The difference is, those who were forgiven much, love much (Luke 7:47). It is very much also like the parable of the vineyard where the workers who worked all day received the same pay as those who only worked a few hours (Matthew 20:1-16). Jesus did and does what is needed to bring us all up to the same place in relationship with Him. 
• Inclusion: In the family of God we all belong, we are all accepted, we are all loved. 
• Accessibility: In life, many people require help with accessibility. Some have vision issues and need glasses or contacts, a guide, braille signs, or narration. Some struggle with hearing. On the cruise ship, they have special rooms for people with hearing impairments that cause the lights to flash instead of sounding an alarm. They also might use hearing aids and/or utilize sign language to communicate. People, like me, with mobility impairments need varying accommodations to get through life.  These might include anything from sidewalk cut outs (the little ramps at intersections) to wheelchairs with innumerable variations in between. 

 God knows exactly what accommodations each of us need to come to Him. Sometimes it's information, relationships, someone to tell us or show us about God.  Sometimes we need to go through particular things in our life to bring us to the point of understating our need for Jesus' sacrifice for us and the grace with which He provides it.  Whatever it is we need individually to come to Him, He is merciful to share.  

Here's the Thing: No matter who you are, it feels awful to be overlooked, dismissed, or treated poorly based on things you have no control over, like your gender, race, or socioeconomic status. If I was a middle-aged white man and I was overlooked for a job because they wanted a DEI hire, I would be upset. Equally, if my doctor treated me poorly because I don’t look like him, I am upset. In a perfect world, (which we will live in one day thanks to Jesus!) we would not need accommodations to provide equity in the situations we face in lie. This world is not yet perfect, so those accommodations are not just nice, they are critical! I pray that God will take up for us where our government has failed.

(1) Drillinger, M. (2023, May 25). Why Women are More Likely to Die After a Heart Attack. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-women-are-more-likely-to-die-after-a-heart-attack#Increased-heart-attack-risk-among-younger-women