Statement from President & CEO Mike Slubowski on Trinity Health’s Commitment to End Systemic Racism

The COVID19 pandemic has shed light on the impacts of systemic inequities in our society. Mitigating these inequities must be a priority for any institution committed to improving the health of communities.

Trinity Health is taking action to end systemic racism. The first phase of work includes a review of all human resources policies to identify and rectify areas where systemic racism may exist, a new requirement for all vice presidents and above to complete anti-racism training, a commitment to increase purchasing from diverse suppliers by 50 percent, and robust advocacy around racial justice. We are advocating by declaring racism a public health crisis, addressing the inequities of COVID-19, and advancing comprehensive health care for all.

Declaring racism a public health crisis is an important step toward making systemic policy change. Trinity Health is collaborating with local partners to build momentum for these declarations. To date, more than 30 units of government across our footprint have taken this important step toward advancing racial equity. Our goal is for every community we serve to acknowledge this reality. Then the real work begins. Trinity Health is committed to supporting state and local commissions charged with studying and making recommendations around racial equity, working with local organizations to advance policy change, and learning from early adopters. To support this work, we have developed a Toolkit for Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis.

Trinity Health applauds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recent announcement that racism is a public health threat and President Biden's establishment of the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. We call on the task force to encourage communities across the United States to publicly assert the health implications stemming from bias and racism and to recommend policy change and incentives for communities prepared to take the next step. Trinity Health commits to be a local partner in this critical work to improve the health of our communities.

About Trinity Health Advocacy


Trinity Health is one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation, serving diverse communities that include more than 30 million people across 22 states. We advocate for public policies that promote Care for the Common Good including expanding health care coverage and care, investing in public health, paying for high-value care, and improving the health of communities. For more information, visit https://www.trinity-health.org/about-us/.