Racism and the Health Care Industry with Dr. Ben Danielson

The former medical director of Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic shares his surprise at the support he received in his protest against the hospital and thoughts on what’s next.

When Danielson resigned in protest from his position as medical director of the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic late last year, he ended two decades in a role he regarded as his "dream job." And when that decision was made public, it thrust the doctor into a new role, as an unofficial spokesperson and high-profile advocate for equity in our healthcare systems.

In the weeks following the publication of a Crosscut report detailing the doctor's claims of racism at Seattle Children's Hospital, which runs the clinic, supporters came out in droves and the Seattle institution responded by firing one of its leaders and launching an independent investigation. 

Four months later, Danielson is in a new role at University of Washington Medical Center and is continuing to tell his story. For the latest edition of Crosscut's Northwest Newsmakers event series, host Mónica Guzmán sat down with the doctor to reflect on the last few months and to talk about how we might address systemic racism in the health care industry and beyond.

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Credits

Host: Mark Baumgarten

Event producers: Jake Newman, Andrea O'Meara

Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph