When there are gaps in the health care system, they inevitably are more severe in certain racial communities. I see that as an emergency physician because the ED cares for everyone, no questions asked. It gives me a lens into those inequities. I still practice in the ED — generally a Saturday-night shift once or twice a month. The patients that I see are disproportionately African American, those who are on Medicaid, or those who are working class. They come to the ED because they often don’t have anywhere else to go. It’s also important to recognize that 80% of our health has nothing to do with what happens in a hospital or clinic. It has to do with the environment. It has to do with access to good housing. It has to do with reducing gun violence. It has to do with public education funding. Collectively, all those factors have a huge impact on health — much more so than what any physician does in a hospital.