May 1, 2024
May 2024 – Advocate Insights
May, 2024
Health Advocate Insights
Welcome to the fourth edition of the Social Mission Alliance’s Health Advocate Insights where we examine and report on the most recent developments in health workforce and education issues!
The Social Mission Alliance’s vision for health professional training is grounded in the belief that reform of institutional policies are key to advancing health equity and creating a health professional workforce that will live out values of social justice. For this reason, we object to the increasingly aggressive tactics Universities have taken against student encampments protesting institutional investments in companies with ties to the Israeli government as a call to action against the catastrophic loss of life and life-sustaining infrastructure in Gaza during the ongoing conflict.
At the same time, some students, educators, and university officials have highlighted concerns about anti-semitic behavior by those directly or indirectly affiliated with the protests. Concerned for their own safety, some Jewish students have shared feelings of fear, anger, and disappointment in university efforts to respond to these protests. This fear has led to the conflation of anti-semitism with critiquing the actions of the Israeli government’s ruling party, which has been subsequently used as a justification for both Republicans and Democrats to propose bills that would suppress free speech.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently noted that the federal government has already interpreted anti-discrimination law to prohibit harassment or discrimination against religious groups and that the new definition put forth by Congress “encompasses protected political speech” and could “pressure colleges and universities to restricted student and faculty speech critical of the Israeli government and its military operations.” Importantly, the author of this definition subsequently came out against it, noting that it may lead campus administrators to suppress speech in fear of lawsuits.
We see the current protests as following the tradition of student activism responding to the Vietnam War and the South African apartheid. Enacting policies that curb conscientious dissent in the form of peaceful civil disobedience will make society less safe for various vulnerable populations in our country and across the globe. It is incumbent upon educational institutions to engage with student protesters of all stripes as legitimate actors with legitimate concerns in ways that ensure their safety. Anything less is a failure on the part of higher education to prepare students for active participation in civic life.
Pro-Palestinian Student Encampment at the University of Oregon, May 1, 2024. Image via Wikimedia Commons
What's going on in Washington, DC?
The anti-DEI movement has been making its inevitable shift into Congress in recent weeks. HR 3724 – the Accreditation for College Excellence Act of 2023 – would prevent accrediting agencies from mandating that higher education institutions support or oppose “specific partisan, political, or social beliefs” or “support or commit to supporting the disparate treatment of any individual group on the basis of sex, race, or ethnicity” Importantly, the law does not appear to expressly forbid institutions from teaching concepts such as health equity or social accountability; however, accrediting bodies would be severely hampered in their ability to promote these concepts in the education environment. It further represents an unprecedented encroachment on the independence of accrediting agencies that was previously unheard of.
The second bill, HR 7683 – Respecting the First Amendment on Campus Act – seeks primarily to promote free speech principles on campus; however, hidden within the bill is a ban on political litmus tests at public institutions which the bill describes as a statement regarding “support or opposition to any political ideology including…diversity, equity, and inclusion or related topics.” While the law does not provide a definition for diversity, equity, and inclusion, previous legislation has defined it as “contributions to efforts involving…marginalized groups, antiracism, social justice, intersectionality, or related concepts.” While historically politically neutral, this recent legislation underscores the polarization of concepts such as DEI.
Inside of Congress. Image Via The New Political/Eric Haynes
What's going on in the states?
Tennessee, a state that has already passed bills banning the teaching of “divisive concepts” and establishing a reporting system to enforce the law, is now seeking to establish official investigations procedures to ensure the law is enforced at a state-level and that violations of the law are reported and dealt with directly by the state assembly. The bill – which is an amendment to the Tennessee Higher Education Freedom of Expression and Transparency Act – was endorsed by anti-DEI in medicine advocacy group, Do No Harm who stated that once passed, “Tennessee will have gone further than any other state in weeding out DEI in medical schools.”
The trend towards anti-DEI policies in state legislatures has had a notable chilling effect in some states. In North Carolina, where the state assembly suggested interest in reversing DEI policies, the University of North Carolina Board’s Committee on University Governance voted unanimously to repeal the UNC system’s DEI policy and replace it with an equality within the university policy. The proposed change will go in front of the 24-member board in May. Members of the UNC board of governors are appointed by the state legislature and themselves oversee the appointments to individual university boards, chancellors, and presidents which has led to a steep partisan split in the system. While the specific details on the plan are still unclear, the draft plan does not go nearly as far as many other state anti-DEI bills.
Language Concordance: The Missing Pillar in Patient Centered Communication
Maria Ruiz, fourth year medical student and Social Mission Alliance Health Justice Fellow, recently co-authored a blog post about the importance of language concordant care on the Milbank Memorial Fund website. Maria and co-author Santiago Avila name language concordant care as a determinant of health that should be tracked as a quality and safety measure in healthcare. They go on to emphasize the need for improved training on the effective use of interpreter services across the learning continuum and more robust healthcare institution investments in language services.
Inside of Congress. Image Via The New Political/Eric Haynes
What else are we reading?
What can you act on today?
-
Sign the petition to save Beth Israel Hospital – A grassroots coalition of community members and health professionals are working to prevent Mount Sinai’s closure of Beth Israel Hospital in lower Manhattan. Beth Israel is the last community hospital in the area and its closure stands to severely limit inpatient healthcare access in lower Manhattan from Canal street to 23rd street. A group of concerned citizens is pushing for a state bill that would require hospital systems to have community input when deciding on hospital closures.
-
Register for ACS-CAN’s National Forum on the Future of Healthcare – The 2024 conference will focus on alleviating the burden of medical debt many cancer patients, survivors and their families face. In a recent national survey 54% of those surveyed who had cancer also had medical debt, which caused many respondents to delay or skip medical care. The accumulation of medical debt not only made the cancer diagnosis more challenging it also resulted in mental health challenges.
-
Share your story for how the anti-DEI movement has impacted you – The Chronicle of Higher Education has been tracking efforts to ban DEI from college campuses. Administrators, faculty, staff, and students: What effect has the political campaign to rid colleges of DEI efforts had on college life? How have college leaders interpreted new anti-DEI laws and policies? Have they changed DEI practices in response to political pressure?
As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of state and federal policies, it’s clear our mission is more important than ever. We look forward to your continued support and involvement in our journey to build a more equitable and inclusive health workforce. Together we can drive meaningful change for our communities and the future of healthcare.
To see more of this content, subscribe to the NEW Health Advocacy Insights newsletter below.
