Onna Ford has had enough experiences in her life — both as a nurse practitioner and a patient — to know how racism can seep into health care.

Years ago, Ford gave birth to a daughter who had a heart defect and would die seven days later. Ford was at the hospital when a relative of hers, a physician, visited. The hospital’s medical staff was glad to see the doctor, she recalled — a person who they felt could help Ford understand the baby girl’s medical situation.