Consumer and community trust in health care providers and institutions is critical for optimal health, as trust influences willingness to get crucial medical care, preventive screenings, and mental health care.1 Trust between a patient and a health care provider is also linked to improved patient experience, health outcomes, and the patient’s perception of the care they receive.2 However, it is also well documented that in the United States, not all communities feel the same level of trust with their health care providers. In 2021 there continues to be large disparities in trust by race/ethnicity. A critical area of focus for health equity—the fair and just opportunity for every individual to achieve their full potential in all aspects of health and well-being—is therefore rebuilding trust with racially and ethnically diverse communities.
A common misconception is that mistrust in health care relates mostly to historical atrocities. Tuskegee, Sims, and others play a role, but primarily assigning blame to these instances ignores the everyday racism. In the past year (since the death of George Floyd), more health care organizations are openly talking about the role they may have played in the loss of trust with some patients and communities—both historically and currently. It is crucial for organizations to understand what experiences led individuals to lose trust, how they might re-earn the trust of those individuals, and how organizations can prevent those events from happening again. (author introduction)