TAMPA, Fla. — Most medical groups and hospitals across the country are taking health disparities in minority communities seriously, and some are making a real difference. Those efforts aren’t going unnoticed.
In the Bay Area, Moffitt Cancer Center is being recognized as one of the best for Black America.
Quality of care, patient satisfaction and people of color in senior leadership positions — That’s just some of the criteria hospitals had to meet to make blackdoctor.org’s list of the 2025 Best Hospitals for Black America. The website’s CEO, Reggie Ware, weighed in.
“There’s a lot to be said for organizations and situations that say every human being that comes through my door, I’m going to make sure they get the best care. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen to everybody. Some people get prioritized over others, and it’s just not right. It’s not fair, and while I can’t make people change, man I sure can shine a light on the people that’s getting it right,” Ware said.
Moffitt Cancer Center doctors and officials detailed what they’re doing to improve health equity for Black patients.
Whether it’s cancer, chemotherapy, or chronic illness, every patient at Moffitt gets special treatment. At least that’s what Dr. Brandon Blue at Moffitt Cancer Center is doing, making sure patients get the care they deserve, while keeping their background in mind.
“One of the things we try to practice is what we call personalized medicine. Meaning we don’t do cookie-cutter stuff. Meaning that what’s right for you might be very different than the next person,” Blue said. “Sometimes, there’s cultural norms and there’s certain cultures they may not feel comfortable talking to the doctors in a certain way. So, they might say, 'You’re the doctor, you know everything.' But those times are really gone.”
Blue said his colleagues are taking the same approach. “Moffitt, I think, was super intentional about probably even hiring me. But not just me, there’s multiple people who are qualified, but also are people of color and trying to make sure the cancer care that happens for patients of color is no different based off the color of your skin,” he said.
The National Institutes of Health examined the quality of care for Black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, compared to white patients. And of those groups, Black populations received worse quality of care overall. This kind of data is part of the reason blackdoctor.org came up with the 2025 best hospitals for Black America.
Moffitt made the list.
It comes as no surprise for patients like Sherry McHenry.
“Moffitt has been good to me. I have no complaints as far as the treatment goes,” McHenry said.
McHenry is a 78-year-old Black woman with a rare condition that has resulted in visits to a lot of different doctors over the years. So, she knows what poor medical treatment looks like.
“Everything is rush, rush, rush,” she said. “And I’ve changed doctors twice because of it, because I didn’t think they were taking what I was saying serious. Because I know my body.”
She is thankful she hasn’t had that experience at Moffitt.
Moffitt’s Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Cathy Grant, said that is by design.
“We’ve been committed to ensuring that all members of our community, including the Black community, which actually bears a tremendous burden for cancer mortality. So, it helps us to know that we’re doing the right things to support that community and all communities, in fact,” Grant said.
That kind of thinking is part of what landed them on the list and providers like Dr. Blue are working hard to keep them there.
“I hope that everybody looks at that and says, 'Wow, if Moffitt can be like that and get this award for Black doctors and for the Black community, it’s also the same for the Hispanic community. It’s the same also for the Jewish community. It’s the same for the Caucasian community,' so we want to make sure everyone looks at Moffitt as a safe place,” Blue said.
Three other hospitals in Florida made this year’s list, including St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital in Tampa and two hospitals in Miami.