Shakyra Jean

9201 University City Blvd

Charlotte, NC 28223

HCA Healthcare

One Park Plaza

Nashville, TN 37203

November 7, 2019

Dear Healthcare Association of America,

I’ve read your mission statement. I am very happy that you make it your commitment to

improving healthcare and creating a strong foundation for patient-centered environments. I

believe that healthcare is definitely improving in areas such as technology, the growing field, etc.

but the ethics of it all needs to be changed tremendously. There are so many cases of racial

disparities shown to patients and even workers in healthcare. This has been swept under the rug

too many times and something needs to happen.

When caring for patients, they should free protected, secured, comforted emotionally and

physically. For African Americans, we sometimes don’t experience these qualities. Often times

African Americans are put to the side, get unequal treatment, experience unprofessionalism, etc.

Not to mention the outstanding rates of death during or after childbirth by African American

women. Black women are 243% more likely to die from pregnancy or child-birth related
complications than white women. Black women’s problems and concerns are looked over and

not taken seriously. There has been so many cases where women in pain has asked for help and

doctors have looked over their pain by assuming their cry is only for drugs. Overall, we deserve

and have the rights to be given fair and equal treatment and care. We should feel comfortable

with being able to turn to healthcare systems for aid but instead we live in vigilant fear that we

will be placed on the bottom of their priority list.

Sincerely,

Shakyra Jean