A Pledge for Equity, Justice, and High-Quality Medical Care : Diversity: The Martin Luther King Jr./ Drew Medical Center does not discriminate against non-African Americans.

The commitment to diversity in the employment practices and the provision of quality health care to the community we serve is of critical importance to the Martin Luther King Jr./ Drew Medical Center and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. (Although the university does not operate the medical center, we are affiliated with it for teaching and academic purposes.)

Now there are challenges to our commitment to diversity--there has been a finding that a pattern of racial discrimination toward non-African Americans exists at King/Drew and that the university is associated with such behavior. This finding and other similar accusations are untrue; they concern and offend us because the university’s mission and the purpose for which the hospital was founded are enhancing the survival of a traditionally neglected community. We hold the values of equity, justice and fairness to be among the most important determinants of our institutional behavior. To set the record straight, it is important to note that:

* While we are proud to have trained a significant number of African American health professionals and faculty in response to the drastic shortage of African American doctors both in this state and across the nation, we are equally proud of the ethnically diverse faculty that we have attracted to our institution. According to county statistics, the faculty that serves King/Drew is by far the most ethnically diverse of any other county hospital: 47% African American, 30% Anglo, 14% Asian, 5% Latino and 4% Filipino. Other county-operated health centers have a 70% to 80% white physician work force.

* Our most senior levels of academic leadership reflect our values of diversity and inclusion: 69% of our department chairs are African Americans and 31% are non-African Americans. The King/Drew Medical Center is the only Los Angeles County hospital to have African American or Latino academic department heads. We are recruiting chairpersons for several other departments; this process is dedicated to finding the best qualified persons, regardless of race or ethnicity.

* The physicians who are training in our 14 residency programs represent the most diverse constituency of all the county facilities.

* Regarding the selection of chair for the department of emergency medicine, it is important to note the university’s requirement that this person be board certified in emergency medicine. Qualifications are all that matters; race is not an issue. Maintaining our physician-residency training program is key to the hospital’s ability to provide emergency and trauma-related services.

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science has been, is now and will continue to be completely committed to the principles of equity, fairness and the provision of the highest quality of medical services to those most in need. We intend to continue to be an example of the noblest principles that should define a vision of what Los Angeles County can become. We look forward to being a participant in the continuing discussion of these complex issues in the interest of equity and justice for all the people.