Colored people have poorer health outcomes than white people in America. We have known that, but the pandemic was painfully underlined.
Health systems have become more and more focused on solving this problem, including by increasing the diversity of health providers. Research shows a link between having providers who are similar to you and who understand your lived experience, and having better health outcomes.
Brigham and Women’s is trying something new – a mentoring program designed to attract colored people to become medical assistants and then help them get through the program successfully.
We hear more about the program from its founder, Aline Snietka, a senior medical assistant at Brigham and Women’s, who founded the program. We also check in with Kimberly Rivera, who is also a medical assistant there, and a mentor. She is a mentor to Harena Gebreyesus, who is studying to become a medical assistant at Mass General Hospital.
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