SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — SIU Medicine has released a statement on the death of Earl Moore Jr.
Moore Jr. died on December 18, 2022 after being placed facedown on a gurney by two EMS workers. Both workers were arrested following an investigation and have been charged with first degree murder. The Springfield Police Department released full body worn camera footage of the three police officers who were also present during the EMS call.
The family of Moore Jr. has retained high-profile civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Springfield-based, SIU School of Medicine released a statement that outlined the school's dedication to addressing the mistrust that has arisen from cases of healthcare providers doing harm to those in their care,
"The people of SIU Medicine join the family of Earl Moore Jr. in their sorrow, and we extend our deepest condolences. We all are devastated by the collective loss that our community is experiencing, and we recognize that there is no way to repair the harm that was inflicted on Mr. Moore and on a community still wrestling at the intersection of race, trauma and medical mistrust.
"We have worked hard to strengthen trust in our community because we know that health inequity is inextricably related to a deep-seated mistrust of the healthcare system – a mistrust that has arisen through a variety of social issues, the most prominent of which is systemic racism. As we have worked to repair this divide with communities of color, health outcomes have improved."
The full statement may be found here.
SIU Medicine's Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Wendi Wills El-Amin, MD, also released a statement,
"Physicians take an oath to do no harm, and every health care worker commits themselves to caring for and protecting the health and wellbeing of others. Mr. Moore’s death at the hands of health care professionals who were summoned to help him shatters that oath and commitment.
"It is important to remember that harm can be both active and passive. Passive harm occurs when we witness violence and say nothing. Statements of condemnation are a first step in interrupting further harm. This is a way that we collectively name the injury and call out the behavior that led to it. Statements like this and others that will be made in the days and weeks ahead are only the first step. They must be followed by meaningful and sustained actions to build greater equity and to rebuild trust in the healthcare system in our community."
Dr. Wills El-Amin's full statement can be found here.
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