Healing Our Society Means Addressing Injustice and Solving Disparities Between Communities
Daniel J. Loepp
| 3 min read
Daniel J. Loepp is President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
As we continue the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, we are living amid other challenges of great measure. The pandemic has made clear the painful inequities that exist within our society – with COVID-19 fatalities within African American communities in Michigan disproportionately higher. While we wrestle with the tremendous struggles of the health of our loved ones and our communities, we must also address the systemic racial inequalities that continue to plague the United States. The killing of Mr. George Floyd by an officer of the Minneapolis Police Department, captured on video, is a horrific case. It has understandably evoked the raw passion and reaction from those who have experienced and witnessed intolerance and racism and are frustrated and voicing their anger at the lack of change and perceived unwillingness of our society to change. And we must change. And now more than ever is the time to unite. A key tenet of our company’s culture is our commitment to diversity and inclusion in every aspect of our organization. It has long been a part of our deeper commitment to change. Our vision is for our company to be inclusive of the differences that exist among us – and to better serve our members and communities by bringing different perspectives to our work. Our mission is to provide quality, affordable health care to everyone. But our commitment goes beyond that – we are invested in building places where everyone feels safe and respected. And it starts here within our own Blue Cross employee community. To move forward, we must commit to driving continued change through respect, tolerance and gaining diverse perspectives to better comprehend the different experiences of others. Each of us must become a voice for change. I am especially pleased that Blue Cross is actively working with the state to identify and resolve health care and other inequities that unfairly impair communities of color across our state. We also continue the work directly in our communities and neighborhoods to breakdown racial and social barriers and build up health communities. I urge each of you to be safe as you choose to exercise your right to peacefully express your views on this evolving national tragedy. The right to peaceful assembly is the cornerstone of our democracy; affording us the opportunity to supply a united voice expressing the continued need for change in these incredibly difficult and trying times. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion now is stronger than ever. I’m asking each of you to join me in the effort to address the inequities that afflict our nation and know that Blue Cross is doing the same. Photo credit: PeopleImages
