Res. No. 512
Title
Resolution calling on New York State to require medical schools to train all students about "implicit bias".
Body
By Council Members Rosenthal and Rivera
Whereas, In recent years, the health care community has shifted its focus to further address health inequity and its impact on individuals from traditionally marginalized communities, including people of color, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and/or gender non-conforming (LGBTQ/TGNC), and those who are female; and
Whereas, According to Cornell University, implicit bias is defined as an unconscious, unintentional bias that, unlike explicit bias, exists when an individual does not have direct control or understanding of their perceptions and motivations; and
Whereas, Research has shown that people have implicit attitudes towards many different topics, such as race, gender, age, disability, and sexual orientation, and several general patterns of bias have repeatedly been shown in the research, such as socially-dominant groups often having implicit bias against subordinate groups; and
Whereas, Research shows that racial disparities can have an impact on a person's health outcomes and care in New York City, which is illustrated by the City's maternal mortality and morbidity rates; and
Whereas, Statistics show that about 30 women in the City die each year of a pregnancy-related cause and approximately 3,000 women "almost die" or experience morbidity during childbirth; and
Whereas, Black, non-Latina women are the most likely to experience maternal mortality or maternal morbidity; and
Whereas, According to the Brookings Institution, childbirth-related deaths disproportionately affect Black women, regardless of their income or education; and
Whereas, There are many other examples of health inequities potentially resulting from implicit bias; and
Whereas, National surveys of individuals who are transgender ...
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