In solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and Black History Month, New Orleans EMS has created a pin to show support for our patients of color and the Black community in New Orleans. Our goal is to provide high quality healthcare to every member of our society and bridge the health care gap in our community.
New Orleans has always been known for its diversity. Our beauty comes with our belief in equality and equity. As life and times often bring opposition our way, we continue to show resilience in unity. We are first responders and members of our community. Whether in uniform or not, we dance in celebration with our people and stand in unison during hardship. We recognize the hardship that we are in at this time and the need to stand up, as we cannot be silent when it comes to the injustice that the Black community faces. New Orleans EMS stays committed to providing the highest quality emergency medical care to the underserved and marginalized communities and all residents and visitors, every day. All lives can't matter until black lives do.
Dr. Emily Nichols, Director of New Orleans EMS says, “Emergency medical technicians are at the front of the front lines, witnessing societal inequity and care for those who are greatest impacted. Racial inequity was already known and well outlined by the New Orleans Health Department, but it has become especially evident during the peak of COVID-19. COVID has impacted all of our residents, but the disproportionate incident of disease in the Black and Latinx community is highly a product of years of social and economic disparity.”
According to the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, “A commitment to social justice means believing that everyone ought to be able to avoid preventable disease and escape premature death. Far too often, gross inequities mean that some groups succumb to disease and death disproportionately, while others’ advantages protect them, due to disparities in health care provision, political persecution, social strife, racial discrimination, and a plethora of other factors."