Closing the healthcare gap requires embracing innovation

Ed Towns, The Afro

Baltimore tells a story that too many American cities share. In some neighborhoods just miles apart, life expectancy can differ by more than a decade, with predominantly Black communities on the shorter end. Black infants in Baltimore die at more than twice the national rate. Nearly one in eight city babies is born underweight. And in a city that is nearly two-thirds African American, those numbers are not just statistics. They are our neighbors, our cousins, our church families.

Too often, the public conversation around artificial intelligence focuses only on fear. But for communities that have historically been underserved, innovation can also mean opportunity. The real question is not whether we use advanced technology in healthcare. It is whether we use it responsibly and equitably.

Data-driven systems are already helping hospitals save lives in real time. At Tampa General Hospital, clinicians are using Palantir-powered technology to monitor patients for warning signs before infections become life-threatening. As of late 2025, the hospital reported the system had helped save more than 700 lives. Think about what that means for cities like Baltimore and so many others, where emergency rooms are often overwhelmed and warning signs go missed, not because the illness is untreatable, but because the system is stretched too thin.

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