Black Lives Matter

Quartet stands in solidarity with the Black community in their continued fight against systemic racism, oppression, and white supremacy.

Racism infects every part of our society. We all have a role to play to dismantle racism. Quartet’s role is to fight racism in mental health care.

We know mental and physical health are intrinsically linked and that health outcomes improve with access to quality care. But in the United States, overt and covert racist policies have systematically prevented Black communities from accessing quality care.

There is a lack of trust in the medical system — and for good reason. Racist systems have historically failed Black people. They have been abusive, denying care or exploiting Black bodies. They have been inaccessible, due to high costs and a lack of insurance. They have been culturally incompetent. There is a lack of Black providers — including mental health providers.

Today, Black communities have poorer health outcomes.

Young Black Americans develop and die from major health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke at higher rates than their white counterparts.

Black Americans have an overall life expectancy that’s four years shorter than white Americans.

Black Americans account for 24% of police murders although they make up only 13% of the U.S. population.

Black Americans’ mental health conditions are more likely to be incorrectly diagnosed than white Americans.

Black Americans experience PTSD at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in the U.S.

Black Americans have a difficult time accessing culturally competent care; only 4% of psychologists in the United States are Black.

Racism is a public health crisis and disproportionately kills Black people. It’s not enough to not be racist, we must be proactively anti-racist. Action is required from all of us.

In order to use our ability to drive change, Quartet is donating $20,000 to organizations that focus on supporting the education and training of Black mental health providers. We will be sharing more details in the coming weeks.

This fight cannot be won alone and indeed Black people should not be fighting on their own. As white and non-Black people of color allies, we need to do the hard work of educating ourselves on the racism embedded in the very fabric of this country and work to dismantle systems of oppression. We owe this to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Kalief Browder, Nina Pop, and the countless others whose lives were stolen.

We stand in solidarity. Black Lives Matter.