You are using an unsupported browser. Please use the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge.
Our Collective Responsibility

At Mass General, "when in distress, every man becomes our neighbor."

Hospital News

Our Collective Responsibility

As a place of healing, Mass General leaders call on us all to combat hatred and xenophobia and discrimination of all kinds.

by
Peter L. Slavin, MD,
Timothy G. Ferris, MD,
Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH
June 4, 2020

In light of the unspeakable death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and subsequent events across the country and around the globe, leaders at Massachusetts General Hospital recently sent the following note to the entire community of hospital employees. It not only represents Mass General’s longtime ethos that “when in distress, every man becomes our neighbor,” but it speaks to the unyielding position we take on matters regarding equity and inclusion.

Dear Colleagues,

During the COVID pandemic, we have witnessed first-hand the best of humanity as staff from different backgrounds have united in extraordinary compassion, collaboration and courage. Yet, this week we also have been starkly reminded that we as a society have a long way to go on the journey to a truly stronger, just and tolerant nation for all.

Massachusetts General Hospital stands firmly and resolutely in our commitment to work toward a community and a nation where no one has to live in fear because of what they look like, where they come from, what they believe or who they love.

We were horrified by the accounts of the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. This incident – which was videotaped and broadcast widely – is another heartbreaking example of unacceptable violence in our country. George Floyd’s death, which has led to riots in Minneapolis and protests across the nation, came on the heels of the senseless death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man in Georgia who was jogging when confronted and allegedly shot by two white men, an incident that also was caught on videotape. As actor Will Smith noted during an interview in 2016, “Racism is not getting worse, it is getting filmed.”

Closer to home, one of our Asian American physicians was harassed by a man who made hurtful and threatening remarks as she walked just outside the doors of our hospital – after a long and difficult shift caring for COVID patients. We know that for every one of these reports there are more that go unsaid, unreported, unrecorded.

It is our collective responsibility to combat hatred and xenophobia and discrimination of all kinds. As a place of healing, a place dedicated to humanity and hope, Massachusetts General Hospital stands firmly and resolutely in our commitment to work toward a community and a nation where no one has to live in fear because of what they look like, where they come from, what they believe or who they love. Sadly, we still have much work to do.

Peter L. Slavin, MD, Mass General President

Timothy G. Ferris, MD, Mass General Physicians Organization CEO

Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH, Mass General Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer

For more information about how you can support Mass General’s equity and inclusion efforts, please contact us.