Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion starts with the CEO

Increasingly, leaders from all industries understand that diversity improves corporate performance, drives growth and builds a better culture. Advancing these initiatives must start at the highest level of leadership with strategies that are clearly defined, well-communicated and integrated into the entire organization.

Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Robert Garrett breaks down how the largest health system in New Jersey is making progress.

What are the most effective strategies you have launched to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace?

RG: We are committed to creating a workforce where everyone has a chance to thrive. This is not about checking boxes. The network elevated the reporting structure and leadership title of our DEI department by creating a chief diversity officer role who reports directly to the CEO. We also launched the Executive Diversity Council to drive leadership accountability across the enterprise. I chair this council along with our chief diversity officer, Dr. Avonia Richardson-Miller.

Additionally, we created a network-wide goal for tying executive compensation to metrics focused on increasing the ranks of underrepresented team members in leadership positions.

Further, after the George Floyd tragedy, Hackensack Meridian Health piloted the Listening to Understand Campaign, which encouraged all 36,000 team members to participate in difficult conversations about race, social justice, socio-economic concerns and other issues with leaders and colleagues. This effort now continues for several days annually, known as “Days of Understanding.”

How else are you building a culture where team members understand why the network prioritizes DEI?

RG: I joined the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion last year with more than 2,000 other CEOs in the nation so that our teams understand that our health network will address head-on issues of race, ethnicity, justice and inclusion. The CEO pledge outlines specific actions we commit to, such as implementing and expanding unconscious bias education. Our goal is to have all team members complete this training by July 2023.

For the unconscious bias training, we launched interactive learning with avatars, allowing team members to apply what they learned in a safe, private and authentic virtual simulation. We are also strongly encouraging board members to complete the training.

Our DEI efforts extend well beyond our teams. We have increased our supplier diversity spend from more than $9 million in 2020 to nearly $62 million last year and are on target to exceed this number by the end of the year. Additionally, we have expanded our diverse suppliers from 36 to 675 since 2020.

We can’t discuss DEI in the healthcare workplace without also discussing how these efforts can positively impact patient care. What is Hackensack Meridian Health’s approach to advancing health equity?

RG: Too often in America, your zip code determines your health. That's why we developed a network-wide strategy that addresses non-medical issues for patients to improve outcomes, especially in underserved communities. Our program launched in 2021 and, at the time, was the largest in the U.S. to assess total patient health, including non-medical needs, at all points of entry. We partner with a digital platform that connects patients to community services they may not even know exist. To date, we have screened nearly 500,000 patients and made more than 1.3 million referrals.

We are planning to add human trafficking to our screening because of the network’s growing role in fighting this global crisis. I recently participated in a United Nations panel that developed uniform global standards to help healthcare providers identify and aid victims of human trafficking, which are now under review by the World Health Organization.

Additionally, we are training future physicians at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine in the social determinants of health. This is foundational to their education. They partner with people in underserved communities throughout the entirety of their education.

There’s no question we will continue this vital work throughout the entire network because it helps deliver on a strategic priority: promote health equity and human dignity to improve the health of our communities.

To learn more visit: www.hmhn.org