To our Eko community,
For too long, Black communities have been disproportionately affected by police brutality, lack of access to healthcare, mass incarceration, and other forms of systemic racism that have plagued our country since its founding.
Eko stands in solidarity with the Black community and believes unequivocally that Black Lives Matter.
We founded Eko to reimagine cardiopulmonary disease screening and expand access to quality healthcare. To accomplish this, we must understand and work to end the vast care gap in our country:
- According to the CDC, Black Americans and Native Americans have a COVID-19 hospitalization rate approximately five times that of non-Hispanic white persons. Latino persons have a rate approximately four times that of non-Hispanic white persons. (Source)
- The infant mortality rate for Black infants has been found to be two times higher than white infants. (Source)
- Black Americans had an over eight times higher HIV diagnosis rate and a nearly ten times higher AIDS diagnosis rate than white persons (Source)
The statistics above represent only a sliver of the racial healthcare disparities in the American healthcare system that leads to poor outcomes for Black, Latino, and Native American communities.
As an Eko community of tens of thousands of providers treating millions of patients, we have the power to make a difference.
- We will donate $200,000 worth of products and cardiovascular screening software over the next 12-months to community-based healthcare providers on the front lines of providing care in Black and underserved communities.
- We will fund the work of Black clinical researchers aiming to improve cardiovascular disease screening in Black and underserved communities.
- We will work to create a more diverse organization that is educated on social justice issues and implicit bias.
- As an Oakland-based healthcare company, we will partner with local programs for youth of color to provide on-site and virtual STEM immersion experiences to help educate and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
- We will use our community platform to speak out in support of the peaceful protesters and organizations fighting every day for racial justice.
These public and private commitments are just a starting point, and we welcome feedback from our team members and community on how we can do better. Thank you for joining us in this mission to not only improve cardiovascular healthcare, but create a world where Black Lives Matter. Where each and every life, each beating heart, is treated justly and equally.
With respect and gratitude,
Connor, Tyler, and Jason