Black doctor, UM graduate talks in viral video about racist medical care before he died of COVID

DETROIT – A hospital in Indiana promises a complete overhaul of the treatment of a black doctor who died of the coronavirus days before Christmas.

December 26, 2020: Michigan coronavirus cases up to 477,269; Death toll now at 12,029

Michigan-born Dr. Susan Moore, 52, went viral in early December when she talked about racist medical care and documented her struggles with one hospital and one doctor in particular.

In a Facebook post, Moore said that Dr. Bannec had had a bad reputation for years.

READ: Black doctor who grew up in Michigan dies of COVID after complaints of racist treatment

Moore received her medical degree from the University of Michigan in 2002 and majored in engineering at Kettering University in Flint. She practiced in Grand Rapids for years.

She died in Indiana on December 20 after shooting a viral video highlighting racial prejudice in healthcare.

“I maintain that if I were white, I wouldn’t have to go through that,” Moore said in the video.

Moore was admitted to Indiana University Health North Hospital after a positive test for COVID-19. In the video, Moore said her health concerns were taken away by a white doctor.

“This is how black people are killed, if you send them home, and they don’t know how to fight for themselves,” Moore said in the December 4 video.

Moore said the doctor who treated her said she was not a candidate for Remdesivir treatment and had to repeatedly request a CT scan. The scan showed the swelling of lymph nodes and excess fluid in her lungs.

She was eventually released, but only for 12 hours. As her condition deteriorated, she was admitted to another hospital – Ascencion St. Vincent – where she died of complications from COVID.

The president and CEO of Indiana University Health released a statement, which reads in part:

The coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately impacted black men and women. In response, the state of Michigan initiated the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities and required implicit bias training for health professionals.

RELATED: Michigan explains racism public health crisis, will require implicit bias training for government employees

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Combating racial differences when it comes to COVID-19

When the COVID-19 outbreak started, the virus hit the black and brown communities hard with unspeakable losses.

Since April, the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities has been working to eliminate the impact COVID-19 has had on color communities.

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