Emphasizing Diversity in Health Care

This month, Modern Healthcare revealed the 2022 Top Diversity Leaders in Healthcare, and I feel honored and humbled to be included on this list , among so many individuals whom I respect and admire. It is always rewarding when our efforts are recognized. However, this award is particularly special for me because it emphasizes a principle that has been foundational to my career and the change that I have tried to bring about in the health care industry.

Since my days as a clinical nurse, it has been clear to me that the diversity of an organization impacts the delivery of equitable and effective health care. Every decision I have made as an executive leader to enhance patient care has been considered through this lens. To reverse the health disparities that Black and brown communities continue to experience, we must prioritize assembling a diverse, culturally competent health care workforce. It is also important to note that several inequities were built into medical treatment protocols, which were disadvantageous for Black and brown patients. History tells us that communities of color were not included in research, which underscores the importance of our evidence-based, culturally sensitive care model.

Diversity is too important to be left to chance. There are scores of Black and brown professionals who are outstanding executives, managers, and professionals. We need to spend the time and effort to tap into the networks where they exist to seek them out. The pursuit of diversity must be strategic. We can only get to where we hope to be if we are intentional about what we want to achieve and courageous enough to take the actions necessary to get there.

Realizing greater diversity in our workforce and among our leadership is easier said than done. This work often requires us to dismantle existing systems and structures that enable racism and discrimination. That’s why equity, inclusion, and diversity must be championed by organizational leaders and by the teams they lead every day. For example, at Kaiser Permanente, we established the Belong@KP program to combat bias and racism in our workforce. Creating a learning culture that educates our leaders on the deeply rooted history and the role it plays in modern day poverty and inequality, is foundational to Kaiser Permanente. We cannot act like the past doesn’t matter if we want to move forward – which is vital to our future. In addition, we also established a health equity advisory council to identify care disparities beyond our current quality measures. Our actions internally and externally are governed by these principles.

I am grateful to Modern Healthcare for lifting up health care leaders who are champions for diversity. After a career of prioritizing work to introduce greater diversity into our workforce and driving for enhanced results for all patients, especially those from historically underserved communities, I am tremendously honored to be recognized for what I have worked so hard to achieve. I believe we all can play a role in addressing equity, inclusion, and diversity in our workplaces and particularly in health care. This work cannot be done alone – it requires organizational and team commitment in order to be successful. I am fortunate to work with leaders and teams who value and prioritize the work of equity, inclusion, and diversity.

While this award honors what I have done throughout my career, it tells us that strong, diverse environments and efforts to create them, are the exception and aspirational for many. I believe diverse teams should be the norm across industry. This recognition tells us the job isn’t over. We still need greater diversity in the health care industry, and too many communities of color continue to experience disparities in the care and the good health they deserve. We still have more work to do to make health care more accessible, more affordable, and to address the social determinants of health that have such an outsized impact on patients’ health outcomes. This work is too significant to stop or even slow down. This recognition only motivates me to press ahead and to relentlessly find ways to enhance equity, inclusion, and diversity in health care. To do anything less would be to fall short of meeting our patients’ needs.?