Health Equity Research Lab

our commitment and Resources

CHA Anti-Racism Statement

October 3, 2023

CHA Anti-Racism Statement

At Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), we commit to fostering a culture across our organization that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist for staff and patients and members of the communities we serve. At CHA, we hold ourselves accountable for doing our part in working to address oppression and advancing equity to overcome the history of systemic racial injustice and violence in healthcare.

I. We acknowledge:

  • Racism is a public health crisis in the United States that negatively impacts people of color disproportionately in health outcomes and healthcare delivery, life expectancy, employment and education, economic stability and housing, criminal justice and public safety, the environment and more.

  • Race is a social construct and not a biological trait; the social construct of race is used in the U.S. as a tool to preserve all forms of white power and privilege.

  • Racism is perpetuated in overt/intentional and unintentional/unconscious action, structures and systems.

II. We will challenge ourselves by:

  • Ongoing examination of racism in ourselves, in our interpersonal relationships, in our institutionalpolicies and practices, and as it is embedded in structures outside of our institution.

  • Critical ongoing review and revision of policies and procedures to ensure that staff and patients are treated equitably.

  • Advocating for racial justice in health and healthcare in local, state, and national policy.

III. We commit to:

  • Respecting the dignity of each individual and openly receiving feedback when our own behavior is experienced by others as discriminatory or racist.

  • Taking action to advance diversity, equity and inclusion across CHA and creating the conditions for safe exchange of perspectives about race and racism.

  • Speaking up about race-based mistreatment and encouraging the use of formal reporting mechanisms through patient relations and human resources.

IV. We will be accountable by:

  • Investigating incidents of race-based mistreatment using a just culture framework and taking appropriate action to console, educate, and discipline individuals.

  • Collecting and reporting data that allows us to measure our performance in advancing equity goals for our communities, our patients, and our staff.

  • Implementing and measuring the effectiveness of essential anti-racism education for all employees and incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion competencies in all job descriptions and performance reviews.

Regarding Anti-Asian and Anti-Black Violence

March 18, 2021
To our colleagues, community partners, and community members:

In the wake of the recent murders of Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley, Hyun Jung Grant, Yaun Gonzalez, Soon C. Park, Suncha Kim, Yong A. Yue, and Paul Andre Michels; and shooting of Elcías R. Hernández-Ortíz, we condemn structural and interpersonal racism and sexism, white terrorism, and all forms and expressions of  anti-women violence. We recognize that these shootings are part of a long ignominious and buried history of anti-Asian violence, anti-Asian exclusion and internment policies, and wars fought in Asia over the last two centuries. To raise awareness and build solidarity, we link below to resources that detail the poorly told history of anti-Asian racist acts in the U.S. 

In addition to calling out abhorrent individual acts of racism, we ask you to join us in working towards recognizing and dismantling racist and sexist clinical, structural, and institutional policies at the local, state and federal levels. We also recommit to closely examining  our research centers’ own work and relationships to identify and disable structures and processes that support and advance  the unjust and oppressive dominance of white and male groups. 

The Health Equity Research Lab
PRIME Center for Health Equity 

Anti-Asian Violence Resource Links: 

STOP AAPI HATE
A curated list of resources from our colleagues at MGH Center for Cross-Cultural Student Emotional Wellness:

Anti-Asian Violence Resources
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association
Asians* in Focus 
In Boston, Asian American Resource Workshop
In New York, Asian American Writers Workshop  

History and Timelines of Anti-Asian Racism in the U.S.: 
Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans by Ronald Takaki 
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/the-long-history-of-racism-against-asian-americans-in-the-u-s
https://www.today.com/news/anti-asian-violence-history-anti-asian-racism-us-t210645
https://theconversation.com/the-long-history-of-us-racism-against-asian-americans-from-yellow-peril-to-model-minority-to-the-chinese-virus-135793
https://www.pewresearch.org/topics/asian-americans/ 

June 5th, 2020
Cambridge, MA & Bronx, NY

To our colleagues, community partners, and community members:

In the wake of the recent murders of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black people, we reiterate that we condemn structural and interpersonal discrimination and racist violence. We unequivocally support protesters across the country who are exercising their First Amendment right to express anger, frustration, and disappointment with a country that fails to value the lives and wellbeing of Black people. We condemn the Trump administration’s ongoing use of inflammatory, racialized rhetoric against Black people and other racial/ethnic minorities. As public health and mental health services researchers and providers, our work uniquely positions us to measure the performance of the U.S. health system. The results are abysmal— the United States consistently fails to promote the mental health and wellbeing of Black communities. We are moved and challenged by the statements that have been put out by Black leaders at our healthcare institutions and elsewhere, and share resources on the history and scholarship that guide our reactions, education, and response.

We recognize and denounce the impact of systemic racism and white supremacy on the mental health of Black people. The Health Equity Research Lab’s work on mental health care disparities is indebted to, informed and grounded in the research of Ezemenari M. Obasi, David Williams, Camara Jones, James Jackson, Lisa Cooper, and other Black psychiatric epidemiologists, sociologists, psychologists, and public health leaders. In our collaborative efforts, we have attempted to build upon these efforts to document and better understand the bleak state of mental health treatment for Black communities, and aim to uplift long standing histories of resistance against the forces of racism and explore how to amplify powerful Black community protest and healing.

Today, we are re-committing to:

  1. Conducting community-engaged research that centers the lived experiences of Black people. It is vital that

    communities influenced by health and social policy are involved in asking research questions, collecting data, and

    informing those policies.

  2. Creating and sustaining opportunities to mentor and promote Black scholars, including students, early career

    investigators, and senior leaders.

  3. Citing and promoting research by Black scholars. From our positions of power in healthcare institutions,

    academic centers, and federal funding institutes, we will advocate for health disparities research, community-

    engaged research methodologies, and increases in funding for Black scholars.

  4. Questioning, reflecting, listening, and learning about racial inequities intentionally as a group. Community-

    engaged research changes not only the research, but researchers themselves. We commit to continue making intentional reflection and learning along with Black community partners a part of our ongoing activities. We will refine the culture and practice of research with a more explicit racial lens within our labs and beyond.

  5. Reaffirming the importance of development and family, focusing attention on the pivotal role of social systems in enabling positive outcomes and preventing avoidable outcomes for Black youth, and expanding strength-based diversion programs to reduce the harmful effects of involvement with criminal justice systems.

  6. Sharing our research in accessible language through newsletters, issue briefs, and op-eds outside of academia.

  7. Dedicating time to ongoing advocacy for racial equity. We acknowledge that anti-Black police violence and

    systemic racism cannot and will not be addressed with a single intervention. We will routinely and continually advocate, speak up and act in support of Black communities.

In Solidarity,

Health Equity Research Lab, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School
PRIME Center for Health Equity, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine

We here share a variety of resources including statements from our institutions, mental health resources for Black communities, educational materials for non-Black people, and actionable items to commit to:

Statements from Cambridge Health Alliance, Montefiore Medical Center, and partners:

Mental health resources for Black communities:

Educational materials for non-Black people:

Other calls to action: