01/19/2026
Dr. King said this decades ago — and it is still true in 2026.
❗️Black patients continue to experience inequitable care across medical specialties. One example?
Some medical trainees and providers still hold the false belief that Black individuals have a higher pain tolerance. That bias leads to undertreatment of pain, delayed diagnoses, and poorer outcomes in obstetrics, oncology, orthopedics, and beyond.
This is not anecdotal.
The Institute of Medicine has shown that:
• Health care disparities are associated with worse health outcomes
• They exist within broader social and structural inequities
• They arise from health systems, providers, and policies
• Bias, stereotyping, prejudice, and clinical uncertainty directly contribute
So the question isn’t whether disparities exist.
The question is what we’re doing about them.
If you’re a provider:
🗣 Have you examined your own clinical assumptions?
🗣 Have you looked at your systems, referral patterns, and access points?
🗣 Are you actively working to deliver equitable, evidence-based care — not just “good intentions”?
And this responsibility does not stop with healthcare workers.
Policy decisions, funding, and legislation shape who gets care, when they get it, and the quality of that care. Civic engagement is a health issue.
On MLK Day, and every day, health equity is not optional. It’s the work.
➡️ Share to keep this conversation visible and moving forward.
