Twin Cities hospital workers call out racism, demand change from employers

A survey of health care workers at several Twin Cities hospitals found allegations of racism in the workplace. Now, months after hospital officials were shown the results, workers are upset with what they call a lack of action from their employers.

The U's study, "Racism in the Hospital," surveyed 31 employees (29 identified as people of color) across several hospitals in the Twin Cities between March and April 2022. Participants were asked questions in an effort to investigate how they experienced racism in the workplace, and to explore the adequacy of management's response.

The study's participants are all members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and included nursing assistants, phlebotomists, and dietary aides, among other workers.

The study looked at four types of racism in the workplace: from co-workers, from management, from patients, and in the treatment of patients.

Participants in six focus groups reported "extensive and troubling" examples of racism in hospital workplaces, according to the study.

Participants spoke most often about the actions of co-workers and managers, suggesting that the problem of racism, though at times initiated by patients, is primarily a question of workplace toxicity, the study concluded.

Problems the survey subjects described indicate a "widespread and entrenched" issue worsened by management's lack of action in response to complaints of racism, according to the study.

Some hospitals represented in the study told Sahan Journal they're committed to diversity and try to foster a culture that encourages staff to report racism and harassment. Others did not return messages seeking comment.

In an interview, several study participants expressed their frustration.

Participant and nursing assistant Carmen Campbell said she is the only African American in her unit at Children's Minnesota Hospital and Clinics. Campbell said the biggest issue she faces is how she's treated by co-workers, and how they speak about others.

It started with little comments about her personality or how she carried herself, Campbell said, and eventually became more about race, especially after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police in 2020.

"I've heard people say 'they' and 'them' and 'these people are always this and that,'" Campbell said. "You have all these different cultures of people that come in here, and you call them 'they' and 'them.'"

Sandy Young, a nursing assistant at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, said she experiences racism from co-workers.

She described a culture in which racial stereotypes are commonly voiced out loud. Young, who is Black, said co-workers sometimes questioned the paternity of her five children, how she afforded her daughter's college education, and how she was able to pay for an expensive purse or pair of sunglasses.

"This is the [stigma] that comes with me being a person of color working where I work," Young said. "I work hard for everything that I own and have acquired."

Educating colleagues about race while also doing her job is tiring, she said.

"Now I gotta take myself out of the realm of being a nursing assistant and put myself back into, 'How do I explain this to this person for them to understand I was offended by what this person said?'" Young said.

Union leaders from Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital met with hospital President Jennifer Myster on Jan. 12 to discuss the report, according to a union spokesperson.

Jimmy Bellamy, a senior communications consultant for Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital said: "Across our organization, leaders have reviewed the report and are thinking through additional ways we can create a more inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome, included, and valued."

Children's Hospitals and Clinics CEO Marc Gorelick met with representatives Jan. 18, union leaders said.

"We're disheartened to read the findings and the stories described" in the report, a Children's Hospitals statement said. "No employee should experience racism and discrimination when they come to work."

Children's also said the hospital is committed to diversity, and has grown its executive leadership team from no people of color to 30% people of color in the last two years. Staff diversity increased from 19% to 25%, with a goal of reaching 34% by 2024.

In January, some of the study's participants began discussing their next course of action.

Union members are asking for a working partnership with diversity, equity and inclusion leaders in each hospital, and monthly or bi-monthly meetings with hospital leaders to report incidents of racism. They also want to track employers' responses to such allegations.

This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota's immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for a free newsletter to receive Sahan's stories in your inbox.