Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a directive today to include training in how to recognize and guard against implicit bias for health care professionals.
The directive will require implicit bias training as a condition for health care professionals to be licensed or re-licensed to practice in Michigan.
Governor Whitmer said the problem is not new, but she said statistics that show differences in rates of coronavirus infections and deaths are stark proof that it exists.
“This virus has shined a light on the staggering health disparities that black Michiganders have faced long before COVID-19 ever hit our state.”
A state task force is also looking at how racial bias plays a role in health disparities.
The governor also warned Michigan’s backsliding in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and said new restrictions and enforcement measures may be on the way if that doesn’t change.