Worcester Business Journal

28 Worcester Business Journal | September 13, 2021 | wbjournal.com F O C U S D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE ALL FACED THE NEED FOR HEALING? If everyone found the courage to face the mirror, and take a deep look inside at the role we all play in inclusion. If we all faced the truth that even though progress is being made, there is more progress to make—then the world would not just change for the better, it would heal. At UMass Memorial Health, we will continue to be the face of change, a source of healing, and a place where everyone has a place. ummhealth.org THE RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF HEALING F or the past year, millions of people across our nation have joined in a collective call – a demand for racial justice and an end to systemic racism – which has been heard loud and clear from all walks of life. UMass Memorial Health has been a part of that call to action. Systemic racism permeates the business world, education and our own health care industry. We can't stand by and let it continue. It's our duty as human beings, healers, caregivers and leaders to end the racial disparities and racist behaviors that impede our health care mission. We are proud of the work we've done together this past year on our anti-racism journey. Here are a few examples of the actions we've taken together: • We formed a Health Equity Steering Committee to assess and guide our internal health equity and anti-racism work and prioritize recommendations for improving the equity in the care we provide and making UMass Memorial Health a more inclusive workplace. • We joined the City of Worcester to create a COVID-19 Equity Task Force to address the racial disparities we were seeing with the spread of COVID-19. Marlborough Hospital worked with community partners such as the City of Marlborough, the Town of Hudson and faith-based organizations to provide COVID-19 vaccines for underserved populations, and HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital did similar anti-racism work through their collaboration with the Community Health Network of North Central Massachusetts. • We asked for and received more than 100 ideas from individual caregivers for improving diversity, equity and inclusion for our patients, their families and our caregivers. We are taking action to implement these ideas. • We held two public Health Equity Open Forums to start a dialogue with our community about addressing racial disparities in our region and how we can partner to address COVID-19 vaccine equity. • We developed a $1 million program to fund ideas designed to promote equity in our health care delivery and foster a more equitable and inclusive workplace culture. • As part of our Anchor Mission, we have pledged to triple our purchases with minority- and women-owned businesses over the next five years. • We've created a new Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, that is setting the direction of our work in this area so that we can make needed improvements to become a more inclusive organization for our caregivers and a more welcoming place of healing for our patients and families. Make no mistake, we recognize we have a lot of work before us. But we have the commitment of our more than 15,000 caregivers at UMass Memorial Health to reach our goal to be better at giving equitable care to all patients and being a more welcoming, inclusive place for our patients, their families, and our caregivers alike. While it seems overwhelming to try to turn the tide and bring an end to racism, doing our part in health care contributes to the greater change we want to see in our country and across the globe. At UMass Memorial Health, we will continue to be the face of change, a source of healing and a place where everyone has a place. Eric Dickson, MD, President and CEO, UMass Memorial Health Brian Gibbs, PhD, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, UMass Memorial Health UMASS MEMORIAL HEALTH: Facing the Need for Change and Healing W Eric Dickson, MD and Brian Gibbs, PhD Special Sponsored Section

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