New York's Department of Health is investing more than $2.4 million to help bring students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to the medical field.
The Associated Medical Schools of New York plans to create and expand initiatives that will provide support to more than 800 Black, Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander or Native American students that will allow them to attend medical school, according to an Oct. 13 news release from Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Despite 30 percent of the state's population coming from a Black or Hispanic background, only 12 percent of local physicians fit those demographics, the release said. The $2.4 million investment is more than double the amount dedicated to the initiative in 2021.
"There are few things more important to our goals of improving health equity than the work of ensuring that the medical profession is as diverse as the New Yorkers they serve," Mary Bassett, MD, commissioner of New York's health department, said in the release. "Having a trusted voice and someone who understands the unique facets of your life experience can change a person's understanding of their own health."