Anti-Racism Approach
Anti-Racism Accountability Statement
Racism is real and a public health crisis. It is a part of our history and present, and our future is at risk. People are not born racist. However, we are birthed into a world that is racist and has socialized us to operate within a white supremacist system. This system has undeniably been set up to benefit white people over all others. Dismantling racism is an on-going process and requires each of us to have an active role. MSHIELD commits to take action both by intentionally modeling our core value of anti-racism within our team and internal processes, and by engaging the entire Collaborative Quality Initiative (CQI) portfolio in combating all forms of oppression, driving a culture of equity, and upholding anti-racist principles and practices.
MSHIELD condemns all forms of racism and discrimination and commits to leading from an anti-racist disposition by naming, addressing, and taking the necessary steps to eradicate all forms of oppression. With this statement, we position ourselves to stand and take action against all acts and dismantling systems that are oppressive in any form.
Beyond this statement, MSHIELD commits to giving ourselves permission to engage in needed conversations and work through the challenges, difficulties, and discomfort that accompanies them. In doing so, we pledge to be vocal about what is true: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) remain disproportionately impacted by domestic and international violence, multiple forms of oppression, including racism, on a regular basis, limited access to quality health care, and poor health outcomes. MSHIELD aims to empower CQIs to acknowledge the truth about racism and its impact on health equity and support them in their efforts to work towards structural change for the betterment of all individuals.
The work that we are charged with requires commitment. MSHIELD recognizes that there is a lot that we do not know. Therefore, we permit ourselves to engage in this life-long process. We commit to permanently establishing ourselves as learners, assessing our progress across CQIs, being open to correction and feedback, and continue to seek ways that we can take action individually and collectively on our journey towards becoming more anti-racist. We recognize that our role is not to speak for communities. Therefore, we commit to aligning ourselves with marginalized communities and positioning ourselves to support them in ways that are meaningful to them. It is our aim to stand out as leaders in upholding and demonstrating our value of health equity and anti-racism, with the hope of seeing lasting systemic change that is truly equitable for all individuals.
This statement is summarized in the following commitments:
MSHIELD commits to move from identifying/acknowledging issues to taking action and dismantling systems.
MSHIELD condemns all forms of racism and commits to moving from acknowledgment to action and leading from an anti-racist disposition by naming, addressing, and taking the necessary steps to eradicate all forms of oppression.
MSHIELD commits to intentionally modeling our core value of anti-racism within our team and internal processes.
Prioritizing BIPOC and women owned businesses when making purchases and seeking to meet other business needs
Recurring MSHIELD meetings that focus on anti-racist professional development (i.e., reflective discussions, book club)
Acts of service (i.e., MSHIELD commits to identifying significant days to observe and engage in community activities that are in alignment with identified goals.)
MSHIELD will empower CQIs to acknowledge the truth about racism and its impact on health equity and support them in their efforts to work towards structural change for the betterment of all individuals.
MSHIELD commits to giving ourselves permission to engage in needed conversations and work through the challenges, difficulties, and discomfort that accompany them.
MSHIELD commits to permanently establishing ourselves as learners, assessing our progress across CQIs, being open to correction and feedback, and continue to seek ways that we can take action individually and collectively on our journey towards becoming more anti-racist.
MSHIELD commits to aligning ourselves with marginalized communities and positioning ourselves to support them in ways that are meaningful to them.
Anti-Racism Practices
One way to build on our work to identify and address social needs is to regularly reflect on where and how anti-racism is showing up in our processes, relationships, and outcomes. More information and resources about six essential practices is below.
1. Do Our Own Work
Continuously reflecting on our own social identities, the distribution of power, and the historical context of racism and oppression so that our activities and programs don’t reproduce inequities.
For a deeper dive, check out MSHIELD’s Anti-Racism Resource List: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v-yPo-tkDQv25ZkwzlHms_yOyQR9-L8p/view
2. Move at the Speed of Trust
It’s important to co-create interventions to address social needs with patients and community. This means slowing down, engaging in deep listening, and taking time to build mutually beneficial partnerships. Staying in it for the long-term will make our interventions more sustainable and effective.
For a deeper dive, check out the Principles of Authentic Community Engagement from the Minnesota Department of Health: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/practice/resources/phqitoolbox/docs/AuthenticPrinciplesCommEng.pdf
3. Acknowledge Positionality and Share Power
For CQIs and clinicians, we must be aware of the power that comes with working within health systems and payors. We can do this by supporting community-led solutions, sharing power, and making decisions with our partners.
For a deeper dive, check out these strategic practices to advance equity: https://healthequityguide.org/strategic-practices/share-power-with-communities/
4. Redistribute Resources
This means allocating resources to community partners, advocating for reimbursement models that pay community organizations providing social care services for their work, and co-developing data analysis plans that can help us measure the impact of addressing social needs on health and surgical outcomes.
For a deeper dive, check out the Partnership to Advance Social Care: Partnership to Align Social Care (partnership2asc.org)
5. Keep Moving Upstream
Eliminating health inequities requires social change. This means being open to new opportunities to transform our practices, address racism and other forms of oppression, and look upstream to change policies and programs.
For a deeper dive, check out this discussion paper, “Social Determinants of Health 201 for Health Care: Plan, Do, Study, Act”: https://nam.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Social-Determinants-of-Health-201-for-Health-Care.pdf
6. Rest and Heal
Particularly for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, rest is an important tool to fight racism. Racism is a trauma on our bodies; resting allows us to heal and healing can have a ripple effect in our communities.
For a deeper dive, read more about rest as a form of resistance from scholar Resmaa Menakem: https://www.resmaa.com/