Primer on Black health launches for health-care professionals across Canada

A family doctor who helped create an anti-Black racism course for health professionals says she hopes participants will “unlearn” long-standing discriminatory practices that contribute to inequitable care for a vulnerable group. Dr. Onye Nnorom, co-founder of the Black Health Education Collaborative based at the University of Toronto and Halifax’s Dalhousie University, said the online course, launched Thursday, addresses gaps in medical education by exploring how everyday systemic biases affect the health of a diverse community. “Most of the time, it’s not going to be a physician who actually says something directly racist, or a slur or something like that. It’s simply a subtle lack of empathy, perhaps not going out of their way to provide resources. Or sometimes assumptions are made about a person or their level of education,” said Nnorom, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Temerty Faculty of Medicine. Nnorom said families are often “hyper vigilant” about any neglect or discrimination their loved ones may face while in hospital. “One of the things that is difficult about racism in health care is that you’re not always sure if the way you’re treated, or your family is being treated, because...