Page 1 - Health Inequity Care Summary Report

Many Wounds to Heal:
Health Care (In)Equity -

How Does It Affect Me?
September 13, 2020

A Summary Report

On September 13, over 220 individuals convened by Zoom to hear an expert panel and then meet in small

groups to explore inequities in health care in Southern Maryland. This summary is intended to
consolidate what attendees learned and shared during thirteen hours of small group conversations and 112

survey responses. This information will serve to guide the 22 Big Conversation Partners in Dismantling
Racism and Privilege in Southern Maryland in articulating the issues. The information should prompt the

community to begin addressing these health care inequities.

The Big Conversation series was initiated in 2011 by Middleham and St. Peter’s Parish in Lusby to
provide opportunities for civil conversation on topics of community concern. This eighth Big
Conversation focused on inequities in healthcare. The purpose was to increase awareness of individual
and systemic bias and discrimination in healthcare and to identify opportunities for more equitable
delivery of healthcare in our community. The topic was selected over a year ago, because the community,
at the last Big Conversation, indicated a need. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the concern with
health care inequities.

The format for the event began with a panel presentation that included a national expert, local public
health leaders, a local citizen and a local health practitioner. The panelists shared their experiences in
encountering and addressing racism in healthcare. Then in small groups, led by trained facilitators,
participants listened to each other share their experiences, and propose needed remedies. Finally, in a
facilitator roundtable, participants reconvened to hear what was learned in the small groups. Following
the event, 112 attendees completed an online survey sharing what they learned, identifying their own
experiences, and indicating what they recommend.

The panel during the first hour of the program featured experts addressing historical inequities in
Southern Maryland healthcare, implicit bias in healthcare delivery, systemic and environmental impacts
on health outcomes, lack of trust in healthcare and generational trauma. The panelists were:

o Dr. Meenakshi Brewster – Public Health Officer – St. Mary’s County
o Shellnice M. Hudson, RN – Director of Quality Assurance, Charlotte Hall Veterans Home
o Dr. Laurence Polsky – Public Health Officer – Calvert County
o Cheri C. Wilson, MHS - Johns Hopkins Medicine, Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Health
Equity
o Malcolm Funn, JD – Calvert NAACP
o Moderator: Lauretta Grier, MA – Concerned Black Women of Calvert County

The audience of 220 plus included significant participation by people of color. There were many
participants who were from health care, and good representation across the three Southern Maryland
counties. According to the survey, 55% were previous Big Conversation participants, 96 % rated the
event worthwhile and over 66% rated the event as “extremely worthwhile”.

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