When African-American nurse Tonya Battle of the Hurley Medical Center (NICU) in Michigan was reassigned because a white father didn’t want her anywhere near his newborn child, she was floored. The racist father had made the request after showing the charge nurse a picture of his swastika tattoo. As it turns out, however, Battle is not alone in being discriminated against in this way.
In Battle’s 2012 case, a staff meeting ended with the hospital indulging the racist father and not allowing African-American nurses near the infant. According to Al Jazeera, there was even a note posted to alert staffers: “NO AFRICAN AMERICAN NURSE TO TAKE CARE OF BABY.”
Battle later sued Hurley Medical Center for employment discrimination and settled out of court, but this sort of discrimination is far more common than most people think.
“I think it happens a lot,” Julie Gafkay, Battle’s attorney, told Al Jazeera. “I have 20 plaintiffs in the last year who have been subjected to this type of discrimination.”
Another case involved an African-American nurse who was wrongly fired because a white patient did not want any African-Americans caring for him.
In a 2012 study, Kimani Paul-Emile, a professor of law and biomedical ethics at Fordham University, wrote “patients routinely refuse or demand medical treatment based on the assigned physician’s racial identity, and hospitals typically yield to patients’ racial preferences.”
Since patients know it’s politically incorrect to be overtly racist, they often make up reasons for getting rid of their black health care providers.
“They come up with different ways to do it. I talked to this one doctor who said there are these older ladies who will say, ‘You know, I want a Jewish doctor, I just think a Jewish doctor is better,” wrote Paul-Emile.
Dr. Meghan Lane-Fall, who is African-American, says the bias impacts black doctors as well as nurses.
“Oh, you’re not just this nameless, faceless person taking care of a patient; you’re a black woman who has all these other characteristics that affect the way patients see you.”
On the other hand, black patients often seek out black health care providers. It’s not always about racism, as was the case with the man who wore the swastika, but sometimes it’s about level of comfort. Whereas the swastika wearing man was behaving as a racist, it seems that African-Americans seek health care providers of the same race in order to be protected from racism.
Analya1 says
This just happened to me last Thursday, while working at a hospital in North Texas. A patient’s daughter requested that her mother not have a black nurse and I was unassigned from the patient.
Teti says
Wellcome to the club, dear. I am white, working as caregiver for elderly folks. Unfortunatly, some of the rich white folks request me off of their home based on my accent, personality type or my character. They say I sm a good caregiver, but they prefer someone else instead. One crszy lady thretened to call the police on me, bcz she thought she did not want me in her house!!!
Analya1 says
I am still in disbelief
Amara Taylor says
Often I am asked if I am the aide when I go into one of my patient’s rooms, it’s empowering to say “I’m your nurse.” I will then introduce them to the aide, who happens many times to be white and older than myself.
Smith_90125 says
Hospitals need a zero tolerance policy. “You don’t want our qualified employees touching you? Fine, we’ll tell other hospitals, AND we’ll tell your insurance company that you refused and don’t need care.”
All I care about is the person have an RN or doctor’s license. If they work in a hospital, they do. The only hospital employees I _would_ refuse treatment from are religious fanatics, those who spew buybull bunk.
SMSgt MTC says
Discrimination based upon race is either right or wrong. I say it’s wrong, all the time. This article seems to conclude that it’s okay for some.
Jessica says
I agree. How is it not the same thing. The Caucasian people who asked for a Jewish Dr. is racist but the African American asking for another African American isn’t.. so confusing. Racism comes from all groups of people and no racist act is more innocent than the other.