A moment to celebrate just leadership of an organization committed to equitable health

By Dennis Archambault

“Just lead.”

Seems like a simple command – a little like the Nike adage, “Just do it.” New Detroit created a program called “Just Care,” which is a lot more complex. It addresses racial disparities in health care delivery, challenges practitioners to create change by addressing racism within their own biases and within systemic biases that affect health care, and advance health equity. But it’s also as simple as making the ethic decision to “do the right thing.” And do it in a “just” way.

It seems like ages ago, in the dark spring of 2020, when the police murders of African Americans were emerging before everyone’s eyes through news and social media as we were in lock-down due to the Covid pandemic. At the same time, many of us were looking at the numbers of African Americans and other minorities dying from the disease. Professionals trained in public health knew that a lack of resistance to infectious diseases like Covid, largely due to chronic illness, left many minorities vulnerable. The medical residents training at Authority Health were caught between lock-down and trying to do what they came to Authority Health to do: train to provide primary care.

They also came as a voice of collective conscience. In June of 2020 they called upon administrative leadership to do something. In other words, “Just Lead.” Loretta Bush, together with then director of Medical Education, Dr. Ernie Yoder, called a meeting of all residents and administrative staff. It was a great moment of zoom connectivity: nearly all residents and administrative staff in small boxes on our computer screens, revealing individual and collective feelings about that critical moment.

What resulted was an innovative approach to becoming better physicians by understanding implicit bias and the multiple forms of racism in society. The antiracism/social justice curriculum not only educated, but trained residents to lead as clinicians: creating change within themselves and within their practice environment, with the goal of eventually impacting health disparities by fostering greater resilience in their patient population.

New Detroit’s program “Just Care,” expanded on these initial objectives with the goal of “moving participants from concept to action, to advance equity at all levels of their work.” We have continued this partnership, refining the curriculum to meet the unique needs of our community-based training program, and inspiring the broader mission of Authority Health as it plays its leadership role in fostering health equity.

On Oct. 17, Loretta Bush was recognized by New Detroit for “just leading” as President and CEO of Authority Health. Leadership began by listening to a call from multiple residents during a chaotic time. It continued with action: assembling a meeting of the whole, listening again more intently, and then acting. New Detroit’s acknowledgment of the historic role that Authority Health has played throughout its mission – through its “Equity in Health Care” award — was a great moment for Mrs. Bush and for the organization’s legacy.

In her acceptance comments she referenced the residency program: “We may not be the largest, but we are the most impactful.” This comment represents not only our medical training work but the imperative that guides the entire organization in its mission to provide “just care.”

Dennis Archambault is vice president of Public Affairs for Authority Health.