A statement from our interim CEO
For more than 30 years, Fourth Street Clinic has had the opportunity to serve Utah’s most vulnerable and disenfranchised. We see firsthand the impact of racial, ethnic, and income disparities every day with the individuals experiencing homelessness that visit our clinic.
The death of George Floyd spurns on the ideals of equality and justice for all. His is just one of thousands of injustices against individuals of color—particularly black men and women—in the US each year. We can no longer continue in this manner; we stand with our community in advocating for continual change to ensure peace, happiness and good quality of life for all.
Fourth Street Clinic is an inclusive and diverse organization and we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind in the workplace. We believe equality and justice are deserved for all and remain committed to empowering every race, religion, and gender identity to speak up on behalf of their rights. We are committed to continuing to combat racism within our community. Black Lives Matter.
I am continually impressed with the compassion I see our staff display on a daily basis, not just with our patients but with each other. I am proud our patients are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their background, when they come to Fourth Street Clinic. I am proud of our diversity as an organization and our welcome and inclusive environment.
But as individuals, and as an organization, we still have a lot of work to do. We will be sharing additional resources on talking about issues of race and inequality with our friends, co-workers, and family. In addition to this we will be arranging additional trainings around diversity, cultural sensitivity, and biases so that we can continue to improve upon ourselves. We are also working on bringing in outside support for staff to allow for them to discuss their thoughts and feelings in a safe space. I hope that we can continue to build upon our strong foundation and continue to have conversations on treating each other with kindness and respect.
Statement from Janida Emerson, Interim CEO, Fourth Street Clinic.