Minnesota university teaches structural racism is public health crisis, physicians 'must' be antiracist

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The University of Minnesota's School of Public Health is using curriculum that teaches that structural racism is a public health crisis and that physicians have an obligation to be antiracist.

The University of Minnesota School of Public Health's Center For Antiracism Research For Health Equity [CAHRE], the Minnesota Department of Health, and an organization called Diversity Science collaborated on developing a curriculum to help medical professionals provide perinatal care for Black and Indigenous "birthing people."

Diversity Science is a public company that provides training programs that are intended to help organizations foster diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. According to Diversity Science's website, they are an "evidence-based organization" that provides clients with real-world knowledge and effective programs.

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The curriculum referred to pregnant women as "birthing people."  (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

According to the Minnesota Health Department’s website, the department partnered with CAHRE to design the curriculum for healthcare professionals to learn more about the impact of structural racism on the health and healthcare of Black and Indigenous "birthing people."

The Daily Caller first reported that the University of Minnesota paid Diversity Science over $200,000 to develop the diversity, equity, and inclusion curriculum.

"The University of Minnesota's $200,000 DEI course is the latest example of the injection of woke politics into medicine. To enhance the quality of medical professionals, especially in high-touch specialties like obstetrics, universities should prioritize evidence-based curricula over programs aimed at turning physicians into social justice warriors," Laura Morgan, Program Manager of Do No Harm, told FOX News Digital.

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Medical watchdog group Do No Harm also shared with the Daily Caller details of a training program that stems from the curriculum titled "Maternal & Child Health for Black & Indigenous Minnesotans" to instruct aspiring medical students on the healthcare industry’s complicity in structural racism.

First, the training cites data released by the Minnesota Department of Health showing that Black "birthing people" are two times more likely to die due to pregnancy complications than their white counterparts, and Indigenous birthing people are four times more likely to die. Secondly, it notes that Black and Indigenous babies are over twice as likely to die before their 1st birthday than white babies.

The outcomes are a result of "racism" and "white supremacy," the training notes. The training states further that "racism, not race, is a fundamental cause of racial birth health inequities in Minnesota."

The University of Minnesota teaches that structural racism is a public health crisis and that physicians have an obligation to be antiracist, according to documents. (Photo by Natalie Cass/Getty Images)

At the bottom of the training is written the obligation to practice anti-racism as one of the three "Antiracism in Models of Care."

"Structural racism is a public health crisis, but it is also a fixable problem," the training states.

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It explains further that anti-racism is a "core professional competency" in the medical field because it must be practiced in order to "counteract the burdens of structural racism for Black and Indigenous birthing people."

Another part of the training is a video that presents a timeline describing racist practices throughout history from 1619 to today, according to documents Do No Harm obtained.

The university paid Diversity Science $219,633.00 to develop the course, the Daily Caller News Foundation first reported. ( Josh Holmberg /Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))

Timothy Beebe, PhD, Interim Dean and Professor, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, sent Fox News Digital a statement saying that the curriculum is pursuant to the state's law requiring certain hospitals to complete an education course on anti-racism and implicit bias.

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"This curriculum was developed in partnership between CARHE and Diversity Science. It is designed for Minnesota health care providers and is external to University of Minnesota academic programs. Pursuant to Minnesota Statute, section 144.1461, subdivision 2, the Commissioner of Health, in coordination with the Minnesota Hospital Association, will monitor the implementation of the statute."

"In 2021, Minnesota state lawmakers passed the Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act (MN § 144.1461). In 2022, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity (CARHE) was written into the session law (Ch 98, art 1, s 68) and granted funding through the Minnesota Department of Health ‘to develop a model curriculum on anti-racism and implicit bias for use by hospitals with obstetric care and birth centers to provide continuing education to staff caring for pregnant or postpartum women.’" 

The Minnesota Department of Health sent FOX News Digital a statement about the curriculum.

"As directed by state statue, MDH provided a grant to the University of Minnesota to develop the course. The statute requires MDH to make the course available with the goal of addressing Minnesota’s inequities in maternal care."

Diversity Science didn't immediately respond for comment.

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