October 20, 2008 |
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Trinity Health CEO Joe Swedish Calls Diversity and Inclusion
a Core Strategy to Eliminating Inequitable Care Delivery
Swedish Outlines Trinity Health’s Seven-Point Diversity Strategy During Speech
at the Catholic Health Association’s Ethics Conference in Chicago
CHICAGO – October 13, 2007 – Trinity Health president and CEO Joe Swedish urged health care leaders to embrace diversity and inclusion as a core strategy to end disparities and inequitable care delivery so that everyone receives the same access to high quality services regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.
“A strong and unified commitment from all sectors of health care is essential to extend culturally competent care that improves patient safety and outcomes,” Swedish said in his speech to ethicists and health care leaders at the Catholic Health Association’s Ethics Conference in Chicago on Oct. 9.
Swedish serves the dual role of Chief Diversity Officer of Trinity Health, a 44-hospital Catholic health system headquartered in Novi, Michigan, which employs 44,500 associates in seven states. He also serves as chair of the Institute for Diversity in Healthcare Management.
“As we become a more ethnically and racially diverse nation, health care must respond to patients’ cultural heritage, varied perspectives, values, beliefs and behaviors about health and well-being,” he said. “In order for our health care organizations to serve an increasingly multi-cultural environment, leaders must recognize the urgency of our situation and be proactive in our efforts to reflect the fabric of our communities.”
Swedish presented this overarching message as a catalyst in outlining Trinity Health’s three-year, seven-point diversity strategy to develop a culturally competent workforce.
As an employer of choice in its communities, Swedish said developing and executing a diversity and inclusion strategy is integral to creating workplaces that nurture the human spirit and respect diversity. “In all of our actions and decisions, Trinity Health strives to recognize and respect the sacredness of life, the dignity of all persons, and the needs of the whole person – body, mind and spirit,” he said.
A culturally competent organization is better equipped to address and eradicate the divergence in health care experienced by minorities. Swedish cited statistics noting that out of the 46 million people who are uninsured, about one-third are Hispanics and Native Americans, compared with 13 percent of whites, and that uninsured rates among African-Americans – 21% – and Asian Americans – 19% - also are much higher than that of whites.
“Clearly there is a disconnect between how we claim to serve, and our nation’s reality,” he said.
If left unaddressed, health care disparities may worsen. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts the total minority population will increase from 31% of the total population today to 43% of the total population by the year 2030.
Trinity Health’s diversity and inclusion strategy is designed to help close this gap by implementing the following seven steps:
1. Commitment and accountability - Hold leaders accountable for creating an environment within their roles of responsibility that supports diversity and inclusion by making it a part of their annual evaluations.
2. Training and education - Educate associates, physicians and board members across Trinity Health on the “why, what and how” of diversity and inclusion.
3. Recruitment - Expand recruitment strategies that support Trinity Health’s ability to hire key talent throughout the organization. Provide clear metrics that measure and track the success of Trinity Health’s diversity efforts.
4. Communication - Ensure that diversity and inclusion are incorporated into internal and external communication materials that represent Trinity Health.
5. Retention and development - Create development/career plans for top talent across the organization. Identify leadership development opportunities for associates to learn and grow.
6. Community partner - Ensure that community organizations representative of diverse groups are partners regarding outreach and delivery of culturally competent care.
7. Supplier diversity - Enhance economic development and further Trinity Health’s community partner philosophy and procurement practices, including support for minority and women-owned businesses.
Swedish emphasized the importance of genuinely embracing the creation of a diverse and inclusive culture, linking it directly to increased quality of care.
VeLois Bowers, Trinity Health Senior Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, is leading the development and implementation of Trinity Health’s diversity strategy, which includes developing tools, resources and techniques for monitoring and evaluating the strategy’s overall effectiveness.
About Trinity Health
With hospitals in seven states, Trinity Health is the fourth-largest Catholic health care system in the nation based on total revenue. Headquartered in Novi, Mich., Trinity Health owns or manages 44 hospitals, 379 outpatient facilities, and numerous long-term care facilities, home health offices and hospice programs. Employing approximately 44,500 full-time staff, Trinity Health reported $6.3 billion in revenues and $376 million in community benefit ministry in fiscal year 2008. For more information about Trinity Health, visit www.trinity-health.org.
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, The Uninsured: A primer: Key Facts About Americans without Health Insurance, Washington, D.C., October 2006.