New Directive Aims To Improve Equity Across Michigan Health Care

MICHIGAN — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed an executive directive directing the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to begin developing rules that will require implicit bias training as part of the knowledge and skills necessary for licensure, registration and renewal of licenses and registrations of health professionals in Michigan.

Implicit bias training was one of the recommendations made by the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, which Whitmer created in response to what she described as the devastating and disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on communities of color.

"There's no doubt that our front line health care workers like doctors and nurses have been the real heroes of this crisis, putting their lives on the line for us every day," Whitmer said. "COVID-19 has had a disparate impact on people of color due to a variety of factors, and we must do everything we can to address this disparity. The evidence shows that training in implicit bias can make a positive difference, so today we are taking action to help improve racial equity across Michigan's health care system. That’s why my staff has begun this kind of training and every member of my team, including me, will complete this type of training on an annual basis.”

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As of July 5, Black Michiganders represented 14 percent of the state population, but 40 percent of confirmed coronavirus deaths in which the race of the patient was known, according to a news release issued by the governor's office. The coronavirus is over four times more prevalent among Black Michiganders than among white Michiganders, Whitmer's office said.

“The existing health disparities highlighted during the coronavirus pandemic have made it clear that there is more work to do to ensure people of color have the same access to the same quality of health care as everyone else,” said Lt. Governor Gilchrist II, chair of the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities. “By providing awareness to health care workers on how to recognize and mitigate implicit bias, we can help them carry out their mission of providing the best health care to every patient they serve.”

The National Healthcare Disparities Report concluded that white patients received care of a higher quality than Black, Hispanic, Indigenous and Asian Americans, according to Whitmer's office. People of color face more barriers to accessing health care than white people and are generally less satisfied with their interactions with health care providers, Whitmer's office reported.

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Under the order — Executive Directive 2020-7 — LARA is required to consult with relevant stakeholders in the medical profession, in state government and elsewhere in the community by November 1, 2020 to help determine relevant goals and concerns under the new rules. LARA will work in collaboration with the relevant professional boards and task forces to promulgate the rules.