Statement attributable to:
George M. Abraham, MD, MPH, MACP, FIDSA
President, American College of Physicians
WASHINGTON, D.C. February 4, 2022 –The American College of Physicians (ACP) strongly condemns harassment and threats of violence against physicians and other health care workers. No one should be subject to harassment, physical, or verbal violence at their place for work, and physicians and other health care professionals should not be subject to threats for merely doing their jobs. Physicians have the right to deliver care under conditions that do not pose a threat to their health or well-being.
The attempts at intimidation that we recently saw at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital are particularly egregious because they target physicians and the programs that they have designed to expressly correct inequities in medicine and deliver the best possible care to all patients. ACP believes that more needs to be done to address and eliminate discrimination and disparities in health care. Programs that address inequitable practices in medicine are critical to creating a more trusted health care system, free of unjust and discriminatory practices.
***
About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 161,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Contact: Jacquelyn Blaser, (202) 261-4572, jblaser@acponline.org