Black people are four times more likely to want a same-race provider, while White people are four times more likely to have one. Past research shows a positive association between a patient and provider’s shared racial or ethnic identity with increased trust and satisfaction with care.

Many racial and ethnic groups are underrepresented in the healthcare workforce, which can worsen health inequities and pose challenges to accessing culturally competent care.

A diverse healthcare workforce can grow by:

• Building educational pathway programs
• Lowering financial barriers to higher education
• Offering support services to students from marginalized backgrounds in higher education
• Creating a culture that values diversity in institutions and professional training programs