“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dear SCAI Members, Friends, and Concerned Citizens,
Health equity matters. The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) is committed to reducing treatment disparities in coronary, peripheral, congenital, and structural heart conditions and ensuring representation of all groups in interventional cardiology.
The recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor highlight the institutional racism that continues to be pervasive in our communities. Additionally, the alarming number of African Americans directly affected by heart disease and the COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated the need to address racial disparities across the healthcare system.
We denounce incidents of racism, violence, and health inequity that continue to ravage communities across the United States and the rest of the world. It is imperative that we, as citizens of the world, do everything in our power to create positive change. We expect all SCAI members to uphold our core values of “patients first, excellence, inclusiveness, integrity and leadership”, now more than ever.
While we have had wonderful collaborative partnerships with organizations such as the Association of Black Cardiologists, we acknowledge that we can do more.
As a Society, we recognize the tremendous impact these times have created for us all. Our efforts to live out SCAI’s mission of saving and enhancing lives have never been more critical. Our organization is comprised of thousands of individuals whose diverse backgrounds have helped drive innovation within our specialty. The time is now to use those same talents to make a greater impact globally. I encourage you all to reach out to me directly and share how you feel we can best improve in these areas. I look forward to hearing from you and wish you peace, safety, and good health.
Sincerely,
Cindy Grines, MD, MSCAI
SCAI 2020–21 President
president@scai.org