By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The Tubman Center for Health and Freedom (Tubman Health), located in Seattle, is a community organization committed to the principles of healing and people’s liberation from systems that make us unwell. Working to advance health justice, culturally appropriate care, and integrative medicine, Tubman Health is a multifaceted healthcare system designed specifically to meet the health needs of communities of color and other marginalized groups.
Named after Harriet Tubman, who fought both for the liberation of people from oppressive systems and provided clinical care as a nurse in the Union Army, Tubman Health follows a similar philosophy by tackling health from both a systemic and clinical perspective to create a comprehensive care model.
“It’s vital to create a novel healthcare system that truly centers personhood from the start. This isn’t just about providing services; it’s about transforming the way care is delivered in service to the community,” says Dr. Peter Asante, MD, Tubman Center for Health & Freedom Director of Health Services.
According to Dr. Asante, health inequities experienced by Black communities are not just medical issues but instead are issues that are deeply woven into the fabric of larger systemic injustices.
“When we talk about higher rates of chronic illnesses and poorer health outcomes, we are also talking about a legacy of historical trauma and ongoing racism that impacts every facet of our lives,” says Dr. Asante.
Dr. Asante is passionate about exploring radical, revolutionary, and novel approaches to healthcare that will benefit not only Black communities but all communities. As an innovation leader in the healthcare space, Tubman Health is actively engaged in policy work at all levels of government, advocating for policies that support the health of marginalized communities, including championing the work of their community partners.
While the healthcare space is highly competitive, Tubman Health distinguishes itself by offering a unique model of care specifically designed for the Black community.
“It’s not just about what happens in the walls of an exam room; it is about healing the whole person,” says Dr. Asante. “At the Healing House, we have created a space where our people feel safe, nurtured, and supported by lush gardens, natural light, and art from the community.”
“Tubman Health practitioners take the time to understand our patients’ needs and dreams for how they deserve to be cared for, their past traumas and experiences, and their needs beyond just their medical condition,” Asante continued. “We’re not merely treating symptoms, but we’re working alongside our patients to help them heal in every sense of the word. We take a holistic and integrative approach to serve our community in a way that affirms their whole personhood.”
Many times, the Black community is misdiagnosed when seeking healthcare, and Curtiss Calhoun, a board member with Tubman Health, feels that Tubman Health is leading the charge to change that narrative.
“The system wasn’t really ever designed for our healthcare needs,” says Calhoun. “Tubman Health provides an alternative healthcare model that benefits the BIPOC, especially Black, community. We are misdiagnosed because the studies that they do are for people who are not like us. So, when they diagnose us, they base it on those types of studies, but they don’t fit the need for what we are going in for.”
According to Calhoun, Tubman Health reached out to 24,000 community members who shared feedback and insights into what they needed and felt would be beneficial to them for their care. The feedback received was utilized to implement those exact needs and test them out for the community that Tubman Health was going to be serving.
“We still love input from the community. Even though we reached out to thousands of people, we just want to be able to set a new standard in healthcare delivery and create something that is holistic, fits our community, and really improves the quality of life for people in our community,” says Calhoun.
Dr. Asante says that Tubman Health is all about providing adequate care for their patients not only during their visits but after they leave the clinic as well.
“Our community members are calling for a new kind of care, the best care, one that they need and deserve right now, as they always have. We are tired of being treated as problems, rushed through appointments, and disregarded in a system where implicit bias and medical racism are all too common,” says Dr. Asante.
“At Tubman Health, we understand how care traditionally has been delivered and are very clear about what needs to be done to make it different,” he concluded.
