Radiology Partners leaders ‘heartbroken’ over ‘haunting’ circumstances of George Floyd’s death
Two top execs at one of the country’s largest radiology providers are speaking out about the “haunting” death of George Floyd last week, which has sparked days of worldwide protests.
Even before the COVID-19 crisis hit U.S. shores, Radiology Partners formed a taskforce to discuss practice diversity and barriers to inclusion and equality. The El Segundo, California-based physician firm said it has strived to run an operation that prioritizes diversity and inclusion, CEO Rich Whitney and COO Anthony Gabriel said in a message shared Tuesday.
“We are heartbroken by the death of George Floyd, who died after being detained by Minneapolis Police last week,” the leaders said in their message to colleagues, posted on the company blog. “The circumstances surrounding his death are haunting. RP is a racially, ethnically and culturally diverse practice, and we recognize that many of our colleagues are experiencing a myriad of emotions as we all struggle to make sense of this senseless loss of life.”
For radiologists who are “hurting, confused or upset” after recent racially charged occurrences, Rad Partners is offering resources. Those include an employee assistance program available by phone 24/7, weekly coaching sessions, and avenues to report instances of mistreatment.
“This is a painful time for our country, and the truth is, we don’t have answers to the many questions we are all asking right now,” Whitney and Gabriel continued. “But what we can do is speak out clearly against exclusion, discrimination, racism, hate and acts of violence motivated by any of these, knowing full well that words often fail or fall terribly short.”
Radiology Partners dubs itself as one of the largest physician-owned and physician-led practices in the U.S., deploying 1,500 radiologists across 24 states. You can read the entire June 2 message from its leadership here, and more about how the imaging field is responding in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death here.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.