Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Today, Juneteenth 2020, WISE Healthcare, Afya Global, Inc. and HubMD P.C. march with the movement against racism and police violence sweeping across our nation. This is a critical moment in history, and we hope for change within our communities.

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

Personally and professionally, I have witnessed the inequality in access to quality and timely health care. During my time at L.A. Care Health Plan, I saw how the communities struggled to gain access. And, as employee number two of the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH) in South L.A., I became acutely aware of the importance of the Watts Revolution that led to the construction of a hospital in the heart of long-ignored black communities. When MLKCH opened in 2015, I could not have been prouder of giving back to a community that deserved the same high-tech, high-touch, high-quality care.

The reopening was possible only when all stakeholders (community people, politicians, and healthcare leaders) came together to support addressing racial injustice and inequality. At the same time as L.A. Care and MLKCH, I launched WISE Healthcare to focus our virtual care work towards bring access to high-quality healthcare to underserved populations and the safety net providers that serve them.

On the eve of my father’s day, I want to remember my dad, who passed away three years ago. He came to this country as an immigrant during the civil rights movement and, because of it, raised me to see people, “not for the color of skin but the content of their character.” I was blessed by that but also naive to the fact that racism still existed. I am no longer naive, but I am blessed to have family, friends, and colleagues that are from all backgrounds.

At WISE Healthcare, we are donating to the Equal Justice Initiative and are matching employees’ donations to any non-profit of their choice engaged in racial justice. We will also look for opportunities to address the impacts of racism and inequality in our work, both in our internal operations and through our virtual care services. We join our clients and partners with fresh eyes and a renewed commitment to address digital divides within health care.

I want to thank my team for being a “Force of New” in working hard (really hard) to provide access to care for all in our communities.