MacKenzie Scott Gifts Healthcare Equity Nonprofit With $12M
Novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is furthering her mission of supporting organizations and institutions at the forefront of social change. One of the latest nonprofits to receive a generous gift from the billionaire is the National Medical Fellowships, Essence reported.
Black people are the most adversely affected by healthcare inequities. In 2020, it was found that there was a 1.5-year decline in national life expectancy that year. #ESSENCE https://t.co/MivYTtoTl0
— ESSENCE (@Essence) April 4, 2022
Founded in 1946, the organization provides scholarships for BIPOC medical students in an effort to increase diversity across different health professions. Its mission is rooted in ensuring cultural competency is embedded within the medical field to advance health care equity within underserved communities. Scott provided the organization with a $12 million endowment to eradicate hefty medical school expenses for diverse students.
Michellene Davis, Esq—who serves as President and CEO of the NMF—says the gift will be instrumental in eliminating healthcare inequities that impact communities of color. She added it will also help nurture a new generation of leaders who will innovatively shape the landscape of medicine.
“MacKenzie Scott’s transformative philanthropic investment is the jet fuel NMF needs to take bold and decisive action to build a more equitable and healthy future for communities of color in the U.S.,” she shared in a statement, according to the news outlet. “This gift is particularly timely as the COVID-19 pandemic takes a disproportionate toll on communities of color and shines a spotlight on the human cost of health inequity. NMF will use this unrestricted gift to build its endowment and accelerate our work to invest in the development of BIPOC health care leaders who are laser-focused on eliminating unnecessary and preventable health disparities experienced by communities of color.”
Sandra B. Nichols, MD, FAAFP, MHCDS, MS, the organization’s Board of Directors Chair, added the donation shows students “they are needed, welcomed, and will be supported as they work to attain their degrees so they may transform the health care system into one that serves all communities equally.”
The transformative work being led by the National Medical Fellowships is needed as research shows African American students are disproportionately impacted by medical school debt.
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