More than 450 finely dressed St. Louisians, mostly African Americans, turned out on a fine spring day to celebrate and recognize excellence among our local health care providers in the black community this Saturday. The 2010 Salute to Excellence in Health Care, presented by The St. Louis American Foundation at the Ritz-Carlton in Clayton, was an emotional event. Two awardees, Dr. Dolores Gunn and Dr. Will Ross, choked up while remembering the long personal journeys and struggles of their families that made their careers possible. These and other moments evoked emotion and tears throughout the sold-out banquet space.
The event was emotionally charged, but it was not even remotely political. This observation, at most times, would be a non-sequiter – indeed, why should health care be political? But as we all know, when President Barack Obama moved decisively – and successfully – to make health insurance reform a defining achievement of the first year of his first term, health care in this country became politicized beyond recognition.
Watching a succession of competent, engaged, passionate people talk about the delivery of health care and the importance of public health at the Salute was a sharp reminder of what this profession, this vocation, is all about. We regret that no representative from the mainstream media was present to share these remarkable stories with the wider public, so many of whom need to be reminded what is at stake in public health and health care. It is a shame that a racist who spits on a black congressman from Missouri on his way to vote for health insurance reform on Capitol Hill gets so much attention, whereas Dr. Gunn’s efforts to improve dramatically public health in St. Louis County or Dr. Ross’ scholarly achievements and activism in promoting diversity at the world-class Washington University School of Medicine remain relative secrets, even in their home city.
This celebration was not the culmination of anything, but rather a refreshing pause in a long, hard struggle to commemorate some successful warriors for public health with well-deserved recognition of valor and achievement on the battlefield. Other than our 2010 Lifetime Achievers, Dr. Alphonse Peterson and the psychiatric nurse Lula Hall, who are retired, none of our awardees walked away from the Salute to do anything other than go back to battle, and fight for the improved health outcomes that our people need and deserve. As Dr. Ross said, in recognizing his doubts that he deserved the prestigious Stellar Performer award, “There is so much undone in my quest to improve the life and dignity of those whose faces we see in the bottom of the well.”
Indeed, Dr. Ross – who invited us to laugh along with him at his “nerdiness” – revealed something of a lost calling as a pastor. We think it is these spiritually tinged remarks that inspired so many people who attended the event to request a copy of his speech, and that made his speech one of the most popular stories on stlamerican.com after we posted it online. As Dr. Ross said, “It is with this enlightened message of hope and love that I further commit myself to the mission of improving the health of the under-served, the down-trodden, the disenfranchised, the voiceless and the powerless among us.” Amen.
