Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a $600 million gift to endow four HBCU medical schools. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced the gift at the annual meeting of the National Medical Association.

“This gift will empower new generations of Black doctors to create a healthier and more equitable future for our country,” Bloomberg said in a press release.

Additionally, $175 million will go to Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College and Morehouse School of Medicine. A $75 million grant will be awarded to Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science. Xavier University of Louisiana will be awarded $5 million.

As Blavity reported in May, Xavier University partnered with Ochsner Health to build a medical school. The move follows Bloomberg’s $1 billion commitment to Johns Hopkins University. A decision has yet to be made about how Bloomberg Philanthropies will use the latest gift to their endowments.

Garnesha Ezediaro, the head of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative told CBS, “When we talked about helping to secure and support the next generation of Black doctors, we meant that literally.”

UTIBE Essien, an assistant professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, said this opens doors for Black people to feel safe in the hands of medical practitioners.

“It’s hard for some of the trainees who are thinking about going into this space to see some of that backlash and pursue it,” Essian said. “Again, I think we get into this spiral where in five to 10 years we’re going to see a concerning drop in the numbers of diverse people in our field.”

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