Today is the first day of Black History Month, an opportunity to highlight the many significant achievements made by Black Americans to our nation’s success.
Black History Month is celebrated each year in February and as we celebrate the past, we look forward to the future.
The theme of this year’s Black History Month is “Black Health and Wellness,” looking at how American health care has affected and, in some cases, underserved the African-American community.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how lack of access to quality health care was a factor leading to disparities in outcomes for African Americans.
At Cooper, our mission to serve, to heal, to educate is based upon the principle that all people are deserving of respect, goodwill, and care. Our Cooper team has done a great deal of work in trying to understand and reduce disparities in care. Yet, we know there is much more to do.
Let us use this month as a reminder of our ongoing commitment to ending health care disparities, embracing diversity, and fulfilling our mission so that everyone – patients, visitors, and colleagues alike – feels valued and respected when they are at Cooper. We all can play a role in making things better.
We also want to encourage you to use Pulse+ to share your reflections during Black History Month. Please share your thoughts on Black culture, contributions, achievements, and ways to improve health and wellness in keeping with this year’s theme.
Activities and updates about our month-long celebration will be shared in Weekly Rounds and on Pulse+ throughout the month. Stay tuned.