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March 22, 2022 05:00 AM

Commentary: We’ve made progress to advance DEI in healthcare—but there’s more work to do

Anthony Armada
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    Anthony Armada

    Anthony Armada is the 2022-23 chair of the American College of Healthcare Executives and executive vice president/chief transformation office at Generations Healthcare Network in Lincolnwood, Illinois.

    Opportunities persist for healthcare organizations and the executives who lead them to address diversity, equity and inclusion head-on.

    Despite the efforts of many, a great deal of inequity still exists in healthcare delivery, due to variation in care quality, lack of access or because of discrimination based on personal characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, geographic location or socioeconomic status. These disparities have, unfortunately, been magnified during the pandemic. Many in the industry thought we were doing a lot—but we now know we need to be doing a heck of a lot more.

    As the industry continues working toward advancing DEI efforts, a key first step is acknowledging, together, that challenges persist and then committing, together, to making this a core value for us personally as leaders, for our organizations and for the industry.

    Building trust as a leader starts with acknowledging issues exist and then setting clear goals to accomplish change. Leaders should express their motivation and plans to commit to DEI, setting a foundation for their organizations. That commitment should reverberate throughout the organization, all the way up to the board level.

    During my time as senior vice president and system CEO of Swedish Health Services in Seattle, as part of our diversity efforts I acknowledged the importance of and initiated steps toward developing board representation that reflected the diversity of the population we served and our employees. That first step translated to strategies that would improve the cultural competence of care the organization provided. I am proud that the stake we put in the ground years ago solidified the organization’s commitment to DEI, and it is inspiring to see its continued work and emphasis on this core value today.

    The benefits of a strong devotion to DEI are many. Research, for instance, has demonstrated that if we espouse diversity in healthcare, it improves our ability as healthcare providers to offer services unique to the social, cultural and linguistic needs of our patients. At Generations Healthcare Network, one recent manifestation of its DEI commitment has been embarking on sensitivity training for all employees.

    This includes having discussions about and encouraging respectful acknowledgment of differences, and discouraging all disparaging commentary and behaviors. Recognizing and celebrating the cultural differences and beliefs within our population and among our caregivers allows us to approach our work with clearer communication and understanding and to achieve stronger care and health outcomes for our residents.

    Another step our industry should take to strengthen its DEI commitment is working together. The good news is there’s already a great deal of effort happening in the field. Through meaningful partnerships, leaders can share their successes, knowledge and data. The creation of a go-to repository would be tremendously beneficial. Such a DEI storehouse could include the best and latest practices, educational resources and tools to help advance DEI within our organizations.

    “Recognizing and celebrating the cultural di!ferences and
    beliefs within our population and among our caregivers
    allows us … to achieve stronger care and health outcomes.”

    Using our time, talent and treasure also is essential to make progress. This includes investing in the industry’s future leaders.

    As a minority healthcare leader, I know the importance of, and have personally benefited from, the wisdom of mentors. Each of us needs to coach, mentor and develop up-and-coming leaders to better understand leadership’s role in DEI.

    Download Modern Healthcare’s app to stay informed when industry news breaks.

    In the mid-2000s, myself and several colleagues in the field created the Asian Healthcare Leaders Association (now known as the Asian Healthcare Leaders Community, part of the American College of Healthcare Executives). We recognized that Asian-American healthcare leaders were one of the least engaged cohorts when it came to coaching and mentoring. Leaders from all backgrounds gain from mentoring relationships, and those from underrepresented groups benefit even more from the opportunity to learn and share.

    I am beyond humbled to begin my term as the first Asian-American chair of ACHE. Humbled and grateful for the opportunity to make an impact and create a difference. Humbled and thankful for the outpouring of support Asian-American healthcare leaders around the country have shared with me about how important this milestone is to them. It shows just how far we have come on the journey to diversity, equity and inclusion in healthcare—and how important it is that we be vigilant in this endeavor.

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    Next Up Podcast: What comes next? What diversity, equity, and inclusion leaders should prioritize in 2022 with Kou Thao
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