REFLECTIONS ON RIW’S ROLE IN ADDRESSING RACISM, ALL SOCIAL INJUSTICE, AND HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES
Posted on June 16th, 2020
As the country, Washington State, and city of Seattle experience the necessary changes to move towards equality for all people, we at RIW would like to express support for the Black Lives Matter movement and social justice for all people regardless of race, ethnicity, place of origin, gender identity, ability, or age. As a place for rehabilitation, we at RIW espouse that recovery from injury is more than simply rehabilitating the body. It also involves rehabilitating the mind, the spirit, and the community. As the unhealed wounds of our society have come front and center again, it has caused us to reflect more deeply in our role in facilitating rehabilitation from these issues that affect injured workers.
We at RIW will continue to work towards making the people we serve safe and heard. We fully acknowledge that societal privileges based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and citizenship status do exist. We also recognize that those who are not in a position of privilege often receive worse healthcare and less access to healthcare.
We will endeavor to recognize how these systemic inequalities can adversely affect the care of the people we treat. We will strive to recognize the humanity in each person we treat and ensure they are provided the highest standard of care that we can offer. We pledge to increase staff education and awareness of societal inequities and to improve our multicultural competence in providing healthcare and rehabilitation services. We will strive to maintain open channels of communication so the people we serve can communicate their experiences and concerns, and be truly heard and understood.