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Whitmer says anti-bias training will be required for health licenses

"[stethoscope and calculator low res]" by RHiNO NEAL is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a directive today to include training in how to recognize and guard against implicit bias for health care professionals.   

The directive will require implicit bias training as a condition for health care professionals to be licensed or re-licensed to practice in Michigan.

“I’ve asked our medical partners to incorporate implicit bias training into the curriculum, as people of color seek health care, they’ll be treated with equal dignity and respect, which will yield better outcomes,” says Whitmer. 

Governor Whitmer said the problem is not new, but she said statistics that show differences in rates of coronavirus infections and deaths are stark proof that it exists.

“This virus has shined a light on the staggering health disparities that black Michiganders have faced long before COVID-19 ever hit our state.”

A state task force is also looking at how racial bias plays a role in health disparities.

Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist leads a task force that’s examining the racial disparities in coronavirus infections and deaths. He says disparities in health care existed before the crisis. But COVID-19 has shown the need to make changes.

“We have an opportunity -- those of us who are working and living and leading today, we have that opportunity to be that different set of people who make a different set of choices, that establish a new set of systems and a different framework and a different paradigm that can lead to a different set of more-equitable outcomes," said Gilchrist.  

The governor also warned Michigan’s backsliding in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and said new restrictions and enforcement measures may be on the way if that doesn’t change.