SCOTUS ruling reverberates
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action policies at U.S. colleges are unconstitutional. The decision triggered swift condemnation from the healthcare community. For decades, the percentages of Black, Mexican American, Native American, and Puerto Rican medical school enrollees have remained below their respective numbers in the general population. Medical leaders are concerned that the Court’s decision will further shrink the medical training pipeline of students from underrepresented communities and impact efforts to diversify provider organizations. Nonetheless, some medical schools are looking for a silver lining in the Court’s endorsement of holistic review, in which an applicant is evaluated as a whole person based on their experiences, not just by empirical data.
As institutions grapple with the ruling's reverberations, the news is a reminder of the role that entrepreneurs and healthcare organizations can play in enabling equitable, culturally competent care. Platforms that drive network inclusivity by staffing BIPOC providers and supporting cultural competence training and certification like MiSalud, Violet, and Included Health can be helpful tools for creating equitable experiences for patients and providers alike.
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