In last month’s column, I shared the story of Dr. Charles R. Drew, an African American physician who was considered the “father of blood banking." Dr. Drew made groundbreaking discoveries and achievements in the areas of blood storage, processing, and banking. He’s just one example of a pioneering African American physician. As we salute Black History Month in February, I wanted to shine a light on some other notable African American physicians who left their mark on history and humanity with their work and achievements. This list includes James McCune Smith, the first African American to earn an M.D. and practice in the United States, as well as Rebecca Crumpler, who became the first female African American M.D.

Not on that list but equally notable is Vivien Thomas, a laboratory supervisor who developed a procedure used to treat blue baby syndrome (now known as cyanotic heart disease) in the 1940s while assisting surgeon Alfred Blalock at Vanderbilt University. Thomas also served as supervisor of the surgical laboratories at Johns Hopkins University. He achieved these things despite having no professional education past high school or prior experience in a research laboratory, and was able to rise above poverty and racism to become a medical pioneer and teacher of operative techniques to several top U.S. surgeons.

Thomas’ story provides an interesting transition to two other topics I’d like to discuss: maternal health and the continued need to create awareness for more equity in the healthcare field. Last fall, I dedicated one of my columns to the topic of addressing racial disparities in maternal health. According to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) report “Racial Disparities in Maternal Health" – part of their “The Health of America" series – pregnant women in the U.S. are more than twice as likely to die from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth than those in most other high-income countries.

That report is just one example of dozens of articles on this topic from the BCBSA as well as individual Blue plans across the country. BCBSRI joins them in our commitment to reduce racial disparities in maternal health by 50% over the next five years, and we’ve already taken several steps toward that goal, which you can review in the above-linked column. There’s so much work to be done in this area, but it’s always a good time to remind ourselves about its importance. We recently recognized Maternal Health Awareness Day on 23 de janeiro, which is intended to increase awareness about the country’s maternal mortality crisis and how we can work together to reverse it. Racial disparities play a key role in that trend as well.

The other reminder from Vivien Thomas’ experience is the need for more equity in the healthcare workforce. Of course, there have been notable Black physicians throughout our history, as evidenced above. And while Thomas was fortunate to be able to escape poverty to achieve greatness in the medical field without a formal education, that is not something that is likely to be possible today. It’s important – and equally challenging – to increase diversity in the healthcare workforce today to ensure more cultural representation between providers and their patients.

Locally, colleges and universities play an important role in helping to create a more diverse healthcare workforce. For example, Brown University has committed to collaborating with other local colleges and universities for this purpose, and other schools with health profession training programs (such as the Community College of Rhode Island) also contribute to this goal.

Another example of commitment to workforce development is Rhode Island Free Clinic’s selection as the Northern Rhode Island Area Health Education Center (AHEC) at their Providence facility. The Clinic works to advance health workforce training across the state, and has been able to develop and coordinate its student training efforts as well, leading to a more diverse, culturally competent healthcare workforce in Rhode Island.

There are several programs to address disparities and healthcare workforce diversity in Massachusetts as well. These include the Worcester Pipeline Collaborative, spearheaded by the UMass Chan Medical School, and the Mass General Disparities Solution Center, which is dedicated to developing strategies to advance policy and practice to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare. I’ve only scratched the surface here on this important topic, but the bottom line is it’s a crucial component of how our industry will be shaped – and will deliver care – for years to come.

Aside from Black History Month, in February we also recognize American Heart Month and the importance of heart health. Also, 1 de fevereiro-7 is Patient Recognition Week, an important reminder why we do what we do. As always, thank you for your partnership and for all you do to help our members stay safe and healthy.