YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — The York NAACP has responded to WellSpan’s decision to cancel the 2025 Black Men in White Coats Summit.
WellSpan explained that “current risks to federal funding for both healthcare and educational organizations has created the need to cancel the May event.”
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They said they’re reimagining a future event focused on students interested in a career in medicine.
Our clinicians regularly go into schools to speak, we attend career events at local schools, we host Children’s Wellness Days, and we invite students into our facilities for shadowing experiences to learn more. In fact, this week, WellSpan York Hospital will host more than 80 students from local high schools who have signed up for a day of hands-on experiences showcasing careers in health care. The initiative, called T.E.A.C.H. (Training and Education for Aspiring Careers in Healthcare), will connect students with healthcare professionals to explore opportunities in the medical field. Simulated activities will include surgical robotics, clinical lab science and ultrasound technology. We will continue to explore and advance opportunities to enlighten and help educate the next generation of health care professionals.
The decision comes amid pushes from President Trump to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The NAACP responded to WellSpan’s decision on social media Monday:
This program was not about special treatment — it was about removing systemic barriers and broadening access. It was about ensuring that all youth, especially those who rarely see themselves reflected in white coats and hospital corridors, could find a pathway to careers in medicine.
They claim that WellSpan was forced to walk away from the program due to an increase of new political mandates that “punish” institutions, including hospitals.
We must not allow fear, politics, or prejudice to undo the progress that so many fought to achieve. Our youth are watching, and they deserve more than silence. They deserve investment. They deserve access. They deserve to be seen. The cancellation of this program is not the end — it is a call to action. We will not be deterred. We will continue to organize, advocate, and build the pathways our children deserve. Equity is not a trend. It is a truth. And we will never stop fighting for it.
CBS 21 previously covered the Black Men in White Coats Summit back in 2023, where more than 150 York city students heard from Black doctors and participated in interactive medical lessons.
That year, Dr. Carlos Roberts, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Women’s and Children’s Services at WellSpan Health, told CBS 21, “This is not about separating races. This is really about getting more people involved in medicine to really mimic the tapestry of our community.”
