Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | September 4, 2023 | wbjournal.com Tomorrow is already on its way, and our job is to set you up for success. As a local bank, we know what it takes to run a business around here. With personalized guidance and a suite of business products — free checking, online and mobile banking, cash management services and lending — we're committed to helping your business grow and prosper. Learn more at bankHometown.com or call 888.307.5887. We're here for local business. Member FDIC | Member DIF centers, said Kerrigan. ey exist to provide care to vulnerable, marginalized populations. In March, Kennedy Com- munity Health opened its 11th location and reached a milestone of 31,000 indi- viduals receiving care annually across Central Massachusetts and MetroWest, regardless of their ability to pay. Everything trickles down to impact the patients who come seeking health- care, said Maruska. "Nothing we do internally does not impact our population," she said. Three steps toward DEI success Without doing the internal work before bringing in a new executive in the hopes that person will change company culture is a recipe for failure, both for the organization and the individual hired, said Letterman White. "So many organizations don't give it that thought. It means the entire initia- tive is stuck in a box on a shelf, and is not what it needs to be," she said. It takes a three-pronged approach to effectively set up a DEI executive for success, she said. First, the executive needs to be invest- ed in, with a line item in the budget to allow for initiatives. "You can't give somebody the respon- getting tired," said Kerrigan. e work of tackling organizational equity structures is taxing, and is an additional responsibility unrelated to typical staff job functions. e work was starting to wear the team down, he said, but initiatives now led by Maruska are resetting the score. "ey have been reinvigo- rated. ey have [Maruska] to help them carry the load now," said Kerrigan. Maruska previ- ously ran her own DEI consulting firm, Sedruola Maruska Consult- ing & Coaching, and produces the Diversity Dish podcast, focused on having equity, inclusion, so- cial justice, and diversity conversations. At a community health center, the im- plications of well-implemented diversity, equity, and inclusion work go beyond the confines of the staff at the organization; they impact the patient populations. Healthy equity is the basis of health F O C U S D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N Continued from previous page sibility and no resources," she said. Second, organizations need to estab- lish their own priorities and know what they are asking new hires to do, said Let- terman White. e organization needs to acknowledge changes to its innate structure may be required. irdly, she said, the executive leader of the company or organization needs to model and prioritize DEI work even aer a director is brought on. "is has to be from the top. It has to be leader-led, and they have to support it 100%," Letterman White said. Ensuring the resources are available for a DEI executive to know the ins and outs of the inside and outside of an organiza- tion is paramount, she said. "eir job is to understand internal and external dynamics. It's a lot. ey need the support and budget to succeed, she said. Eight months in at Kennedy Commu- nity Health, Maruska said she is reaping the benefits of being bolstered by those types of supports. She has spent the months working to gain that holistic understanding, she said. Now, equity and inclusion is the main area of focus for Maruska. To elevate the center's already diverse staff, 74% of whom are bi- or tri- lingual, ensuring equity is a top priority. "For organizations with a lot of diver- sity, the equity and inclusion aspect is a sticking point," said Maruska. Addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion In a McKinsey & Co. survey from May-June 2022, companies with more than 1,000 employees across industries from nine countries said they took the following measures to increase their diversity, equity, and inclusion. Measure % respondents Strengthened leadership efforts and accountability for delivering on DEI goals 49% Enabled equality of opportunity through fairness and transparency 43% Promoted openness; tackled bias and discrimination 43% Increased diverse representation, particularly in leadership and critical roles 39% Fostered belonging through support for various dimensions of diversity 32% No measures have been taken 8% Source: McKinsey 2023 State of Organizations Report. Companies surveyed were in Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States Stephen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center W

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