Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE IMPLEMENTATION IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Digital Health
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Unwell in America
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Opinion
May 05, 2021 10:57 AM

Honoring George Floyd's legacy: As healthcare leaders, where do we go from here?

Tanya S. Blackmon
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Tanya S. Blackmon is executive vice president and chief diversity, inclusion and equity officer at Novant Health.

    It has been a long and painful year since George Floyd's death. His death—and the stark disparities in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic—have brought long-standing injustices to the forefront. While I appreciate that the guilty verdict returned on April 20 means we will see accountability for Floyd's death, we all have much more work to do to build better systems that truly create equity and eliminate injustice.

    Healthcare providers in particular have an important role in that work. As both healers and major employers, we serve as key pillars in our communities. We have an obligation to actively identify and address health and healthcare disparities.

    Be empathetic and compassionate

    It's critical that we, as leaders, are listening to and empathizing with our team members and with one another. Through engagement and outreach, ensure your staff knows where to reach out for help and support.

    There is power in honesty and vulnerability and we can break through barriers of differing opinions by creating opportunities for people to share their different experiences in a safe, supportive space. Over the years, Novant Health has provided this support by hosting candid Courageous Conversations—a virtual forum series attended by more than 13,000 team members.

    Make inclusion foundational

    Over the past year, many organizations have created committees or made statements about their commitment to diversity, inclusion, justice and equity. These can be important first steps, but they mean nothing if we are not following through by building a sustainable culture of inclusion, where everyone feels valued and has access to opportunities and resources to thrive. This can't be a siloed program or a one-time initiative. These principles must be ingrained in the foundation of the organization and tangible in our decision-making and all aspects of the work each of us does every day. Consider reevaluating your organization's mission, vision and values: Do these statements reflect the culture you want to create, one that embraces diversity and creates an inclusive, welcoming environment for all?

    Translate the mission into action

    I encourage all healthcare providers to revisit the messages you shared in the wake of George Floyd's death. Consider how you have created change in your culture since that time and what your next steps are. Look around the conference table—at your board and executive leadership teams. Do your decision-makers reflect your workforce and the communities you serve?

    In alignment with Novant Health's values, we are focusing on equity and ensuring that all people have access to opportunities for growth and development. For example, our LIFT (Leveraging Internal Female Talent) program ensures access to leadership skills, development opportunities and sponsorship for our high-potential women team members. Through the program, participants are paired with a senior leader sponsor who advocates on their behalf, elevating them as an emerging leader.

    More than 1,500 team members participate in our 13 Business Resource Groups, representing various team member populations, including Black/African American, Asian, Pride, veterans, women and more. In a few recent examples, the Persons with Abilities group guided us to ensure team members and patients could access COVID-19 face masks that allowed them to read lips; the Engaging White Men group led a session to help people feel more comfortable having conversations about race; and the Latino/Hispanic group created Spanish-language information for COVID-19 patients and led an internal dialogue on the impact of COVID on our local Latino/Hispanic communities. We did the same for our Asian communities.

    In 2020, Novant Health was recognized by the Association of ERGs & Councils for five of our Business Resource Groups, including an award for a leader speaker series created by our Black/African-American group to boost career development opportunities for all team members. During this monthly series, members of our diverse leadership teams shared career advice, personal stories and insights into effective networking and the impact of diversity and inclusion on their career. The group also launched a speed networking event for senior leaders to interactively engage with members of the Business Resource Groups.

    In the last year, healthcare providers have been called to step up to address a viral pandemic, while deepening our commitment to eliminate inequities. Diversity, equity and inclusion is a strategic business lever to pull across all streams of work. It is a business imperative, as well as a human imperative. After all, in healthcare we have a calling to care for our communities. Making inclusion integral to our mission, allowing it to guide every aspect of how we operate, is a key way that we can heal our patients, our team members and ourselves.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    cvs.jpg
    CVS-Oak Street deal clears federal regulatory hurdle
    Vive 23.jpg
    5 ViVE 2023 takeaways on ChatGPT, data privacy and more
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Digital Health
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Unwell in America
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing