PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Care New England staff members took some time Thursday to honor the death of George Floyd.

At 9:29 a.m., staff at Butler, Kent, and Women & Infants hospitals, as well as The Providence Center, held a demonstration of solidarity for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, marking the amount of time Floyd was handcuffed and pinned to the ground, unable to breathe.

Care New England said the demonstration is meant to remember all those who have lost their lives due to race-related violence, and also highlight disparities in health care.

“While there is one person’s name on the event, it’s really much broader than that,” Chief Diversity Officer Kevin Martins said.

“It’s about understanding that many communities don’t have the resources that they need to achieve optimal health,” he added.

According to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health disparities are a result of a variety of factors including poverty, environmental threats and educational inequalities.

Martins explained, “sometimes, a symbolic gesture like bringing people together to recognize disparities around interpersonal violence and communities of color, etc. That’s important.”

“Then, the other part of that is what are we doing about it,” he continued. “How are we making sure that we are identifying those gaps and then putting plans together to close those gaps?”

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