Racism as a Preventable Harm

Since 1619, racism has been a preexisting condition placing Black people at higher risk of death in America. Generational harm done to the Black community has eroded trust in the health care system. Racial biases, largely unconscious, held by health care professionals can directly result in morbidity and mortality. These biases are amenable to intervention, and thus, these events are preventable. Health care institutions must choose to view racism as a preventable harm and address it with the same fervency devoted to other preventable harms that have been prioritized for decades. Prior attempts to address racism in health care institutions have not resulted in sustained cultural change because unconscious racial biases have not been addressed. Antiracism bundle elements are proposed as evidence-based, conscious tools for subverting unconscious racial biases held by health care providers, thus empowering leaders and staff to prevent further trauma to Black patients and families, with the goal of decreasing racialized health disparities.