BUZZ
University ‘should shutter the office altogether,’ watchdog group says
University of Washington Medicine’s “healthcare equity team” includes 38 different officials according to a report from a medical watchdog group.
Do No Harm recently compiled stats on the “office of healthcare equity.”
“At UW Medicine, we believe that healthcare is a fundamental human right and everyone should have the same access and opportunities for the best possible outcomes,” the office states.
The office also asserts that “institutional racism has created inequities in society — even within our own healthcare system — that result in health disparities. We are committed to transforming the way care is provided to eliminate these inequities.”
In order to address “health disparities,” the medical school and healthcare system has assembled quite the team.
As Do No Harm reports:
OHCE lists five workers at the “assistant” level (e.g., assistant dean for equity, diversity & inclusion in research) and a whopping 13 at the level of “director.” Yet what work, for example, does an executive director of workforce inclusion and healthcare system equity actually perform? The answer is left entirely to the imagination.
Ideological preening is certainly on that list of tasks. Between them, OHCE’s 38 employees list 77 pronouns, among them not only “she” and “he” but “they” and “ella.” (Using one’s pronoun list to signal Spanish-language proficiency is a curious development.)
The office has reportedly spent “more than $18 million in salary alone since 2021.”
While reforms could be made, Do No Harm suggests a different path.
“If UW Medicine wants to tighten its belt or redirect its funds to actual medical education and treatment, it should markedly trim its OHCE numbers,” the group wrote. “If it wants to comply with federal guidance and the spirit of federal civil-rights law, it should shutter the office altogether.”
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