A doctor quit his post in protest due to the alleged racism at Seattle Children’s Hospital, the establishment that oversees the clinic he once worked for.
Broken institution: Dr. Ben Danielson, the former medical director of the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, revealed in an interview with Crosscut that the hospital is “replete with racism and a disregard for people who don’t look like them in leadership.”
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- Danielson said he committed “the most painful sacrifice” last November when he resigned from a job he held for two decades.
- He revealed that the administration used the n-word to address him. He also claimed that it uses the ethnic slur “Japs” to refer to Asian people.
- The doctor alleged that hospital management would often call security on patients of color, and the staff would not speak out about this due to fear of retaliation.
- One minority colleague was fired “without explanation,” while another claimed she was pushed into resigning from her leadership post.
- Danielson shared that this is not unique or specific to any clinic or hospital: “[These] are all the same kinds of ills that many institutions have baked into their systems.”
- He also acknowledged that the experiences of “low-income people of color” are still miles worse than the hate speech and racial language he has experienced.
Hospital’s response: In a statement released to King5, Seattle Children’s Hospital denied Danielson’s allegations, declaring: “While some of the claims made were investigated a decade ago, we are examining the issues raised.”
- The statement further noted that Seattle Children’s Hospital is “committed to racial equity, diversity and inclusion while also holding ourselves accountable and continuing to do the work required to address systemic racism when and where it exists. We are deeply committed to our OBCC community and looking forward to increasing access to its services through the expansion of our second OBCC clinic later next year.”
- According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, a group of Seattle community and business leaders demanded an investigation of Seattle Children’s Hospital in light of recent events.
Feature Image via KING 5
