The tragic killings of black men and women in America, most recently George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, highlight insidious racial injustices affecting our communities and the patients we serve. As health professionals, we know racism has far-reaching effects on health and well-being that must be systematically addressed now.
NAEMSP supports peaceful protests against racial injustice; they are a call to action that needs not only to be heard but to drive change. We also support our colleagues in the field who work tirelessly to protect the communities they serve. NAEMSP calls upon our political leaders to help navigate a path towards justice, peace and equality for everyone.
The EMS professionals we represent are committed to caring for all patients regardless of race. As individuals, we must hold ourselves and others accountable for identifying and addressing racism, in both its conscious and unconscious forms, whether it is present as discrimination, inequality or violence. As an organization, NAEMSP will never tolerate racism and always strive to create an environment that provides safe and equal emergency medical care for all.