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Dr. Donna Christensen loves attending meetings of the National Medical Association—the trade organization for Black physicians— in the District, especially the events where she visits her old haunt: Capitol Hill.
Christensen represented the Virgin Islands as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives as a delegate from 1997-2015 and served as the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. Planning ahead, Christensen made plans last year to attend the 2025 National Medical Association (NMA) Colloquium on African American Health set for the Hilton Capitol Hill Hotel in Northwest from March 27-29.
The former congresswoman was hoping the meeting would coincide with a Harris-Walz administration, but came to the District anyway for the convening, despite President Donald Trump assuming power in January.
“Because I am a former member of Congress, I have a pass to get on the House floor,” Christensen, 79, told The Informer. “I had the chance to mix with former colleagues. I spoke with Maxine Waters, and she is really concerned about the Trump administration’s policy on AIDS and whether they will continue to fund it at appropriate levels. I also ran into Yvette Clarke, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and she said they have plans to oppose any cuts to health care services.”
Christensen was joined by scores of her NMA colleagues as they pondered the response to Trump administration policies that call for the cutting of such programs as Medicaid and Medicare. Additionally, the organization is considering how it reacts to the firing of federal health care agency employees that play a key role in the fight against diseases that plague Americans.
“We are very concerned about the budget cuts across the federal agencies,” said Dr. Virginia Caine, the president of the NMA. “The colloquium is so important because we are allowing policymakers, physicians in federal agencies, and physicians in private practices to come together – all of whom are directly impacted by the recent public health policy changes under the federal administration.”
Black Physicians Speak About Trump Policies
Caine, who practices medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana, said Black doctors cannot afford to be silent during this time.
While she would not comment specifically about the policies and performance of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Caine did note his impact.
“A leading expert and a well-respected member of the scientific community is no longer employed at FDA,” Caine, 53, said bluntly. “That is a huge loss for the nation related to the level of expertise, research, regulation and safety. There is a concern about the lack of knowledge at the agency level needed to make important critical decisions.”
The NMA president said the cuts proposed by the Trump administration in health care programs will have an adverse effect on patients.
“I hope that people who have not sought out health care do so quickly,” she said. “They need to hurry up and get their medical exams done. Surgeries that have been planned need to take place because Medicaid may not be available soon.”
During the convening, the association held a series of discussion panels and speaker sessions on such topics ranging from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to climate and environmental effects on underserved neighborhoods.
Dr. Roger Mitchell, president of Howard University Hospital in Northwest, D.C. and president-elect of the NMA, said the organization will be at the forefront of issues related to Black health care outcomes.
“The NMA’s colloquium educates physicians about the importance of policy and health care delivery in the country, and informs policymakers what is important to the NMA, Black and brown physicians, and patients,” said Mitchell, 50. “We were able to get together with several policymakers and legislators to highlight three areas that we find important to our organization, which are the physician workforce, physician compensation and federal cuts against Medicaid.”
Source: Published without changes from Washington Informer Newspaper
