MHQP Statement in Support of Protests

(June 8, 2020) 

Dear Friends,

We at MHQP would like to add our voices to the resounding chorus of supportive messages in solidarity with the peaceful protesters seeking lasting change against longstanding systemic racism in the United States. We hear you. We see you. We support you.

Now is a time to listen to the voices of our fellow Americans whose cries have gone unaddressed for too long. To improve America’s justice system, it is essential for us as a country to listen to our citizens who are disproportionately marginalized or harmed by it. The same is true of our healthcare system.

As an organization focused on listening, MHQP pledges to do everything we can to ensure that all patient voices are heard, all patients have equal access to high quality healthcare, and systemic health inequities in our society are eliminated. We will redouble our efforts to look at everything we do through a lens of reducing health inequities. One example which is quite relevant today is our work focused on better understanding patient experiences with telehealth, as COVID-19 has shut down most in-person access to healthcare. We need to understand why some patients are being left behind by telehealth – and we need to do our part to ensure that all patients have equal access to virtual care as it becomes a more essential component of care delivery now and in the future.

We also need to do more to ensure patients most at risk are encouraged to get their preventive care screenings on time. MHQP has been issuing collaborative preventive care guidelines for adults and kids for decades, and we know that some populations are at higher risk of certain diseases. This is of particular concern now, as many patients are staying away from healthcare visits due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We need to find ways to reach out to high risk populations, hear their voices, and support them in getting care.

Among the many voices we have been listening to at MHQP over the past few weeks is that of our summer intern, Brittney Gedeon, a rising junior and Presidential Scholar at Boston College, whose work with us this summer will focus on reducing inequities in healthcare to help us with this important work ahead. We invite you to read an impassioned and impactful essay she wrote for us as the events of the past few weeks have unfolded.

May we all learn, grow and be safe.

Sincerely,

James Roosevelt, Jr.
Board Chair

Barbra G. Rabson
President and CEO