Great Lakes Wire

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order requiring “implicit bias” training for health care workers could discourage people from entering the profession, according to Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake).

“I was rather disappointed at how abrasive and how aggressive the comments were,” Shirkey said on "The Frank Beckmann Show." “Let’s not argue that there are disparities in outcomes. But let’s not also assume that it’s based on one thing.”

The senator said he is “categorically rejecting the notion” that bias is the key problem in health care disparities.

Sen. Mike Shirkey | #MiSenateGOP

“Let’s start with acknowledging disparities and then start peeling it back, but let’s not begin by assuming there is a bias,” Shirkey said on the radio program. “It’s very disturbing that we would throw the entirety of health care workers in our state under the bus on this situation.”

Whitmer issued the executive order on July 9.

"COVID-19 has had a disparate impact on people of color due to a variety of factors, and we must do everything we can to address this disparity,” she said in a statement, according to Michigan.gov. “The evidence shows that training in implicit bias can make a positive difference, so today we are taking action to help improve racial equity across Michigan's health care system.”

She added, “That’s why my staff has begun this kind of training and every member of my team, including me, will complete this type of training on an annual basis," according to Michigan.gov.

There is growing evidence that races have “immunity differences amongst different races, not unlike how sickle cell disproportionately affects the Black population,” Shirkey told the radio host.

“Let’s just be careful about reaching conclusions too quickly,” he added.  “I hope we can slow this bus down a little bit and put some sanity back into the conversation."

An unintended consequence could be discouraging people from entering the health care profession, Shirkey claimed. “That’s the kind of thing that could be caused if we press this too far, too fast,” he told Beckmann.