Equitable and Inclusive Organizational Policies
Applying a DEI lens to organizational policies and supporting an equitable and inclusive climate and culture.
The Equitable and Inclusive Organizational Policies Lever Includes:
Climate and Culture
How might your organization create a climate and culture that supports equity?
How might your organization create a climate and culture that supports equity?
Our Definition:
Climate and culture reflect and support equitable workforce policies, communications and patient care. Organization has equity strategies implemented in all relevant organizational programs and quality management systems.
Where on the continuum is your organization?
Exploring the values and resources needed to publicly commit to embarking upon a journey to achieve health equity.
Executive leaders set tone for climate and culture with signed and visible statements for health equity.
Example
Hospital has a public equity commitment or pledge (can be local, regional, national, etc.).
Committing the resources to listen, learn, train and implement policies and practices that establish equity as standard practice.
Hospital acknowledges institutional biases or shortfalls and develops a strategic action plan to improve experiences and outcomes for historically marginalized patient populations and communities.
Example
Cone Health’s CEO, Terry Akin, offered a public apology to the last surviving plaintiff of a desegregation lawsuit. “It was a really big deal, locally,” said Alvin Powell, M.D., chief health equity officer for Cone Health. “It was an opportunity for Cone Health to separate itself from its past, develop trust within its community and move forward with a new initiative of health equity.” (March, 2021 case study)
Immersing the leadership and system into accountability for policies, procedures and cultural structures that support diversity, equity and inclusion.
Trustees and executive leaders support a systemic and structural analysis of policies and practices that hinder or promote a culture and climate of equity.
DEI activities are shared in a transparent manner to foster trust and encourage accountability.
Example
Disparities, barriers and opportunities uncovered through structural analysis are used by organizations to establish equity goals.
Affirming an equitable system culture with continuous equity self-assessments of policies and practices that remove structural barriers to equity.
Policies and practices support routine equity analysis. Equity goals are integrated with performance reviews, compensation, promotions and bonus structures. Using an internal assessment, hospital identifies how individual, organizational, and societal biases may interfere with reaching inclusion goals or perpetuate workplace inequality.
Example
Compensation is tied to equity, diversity and inclusion metrics and is routinely monitored and evaluated. Hospital works with third party expert to conduct a DEI internal assessment.
Transforming beyond the system toward supporting a sustainable and equitable ecosystem of health care within the community.
Equitable climate and culture are established as a standard business practice in procurement, supply chain partnerships, patient advocacy and community engagement. Hospital leverages its platform and resources to support and sponsor other health care providers locally and nationally on their journey toward health equity.
Example
DEI initiatives and practices are core to the business and patient functions within the hospital. DEI is the established norm and is infused throughout organizational priorities, policies and practices. The hospital or health system is recognized (via awards, employee satisfaction surveys and other means) for its diverse, equitable and inclusive environment.
Diverse Representation in Workforce
How might your workforce reflect your patient population?
How might your workforce reflect your patient population?
Our Definition:
Diverse representation in the workplace creates an inclusive environment that welcomes all individuals’ different qualities and characteristics, enabling all employees to achieve their full potential. Workforce and leadership ideally reflect the patient population and community served.
Where on the continuum is your organization?
Exploring the values and resources needed to publicly commit to embarking upon a journey to achieve health equity.
Hospital commits and has strategic plan for having a workforce that reflects the patient population served.
Example
This webinar features resources for health systems to develop an inclusive, local hiring pipeline through creating more external community connections and internal career paths.
Committing the resources to listen, learn, train and implement policies and practices that establish equity as standard practice.
Hospital presents a plan with employee input to diversify its workplace. Plan includes fair recruitment, retention, development and career progression, as well as succession policies.
Example
Hospital documents a plan to recruit, hire, train and retain at all levels staff who reflect the cultural and social backgrounds of the populations served.
Immersing the leadership and system into accountability for policies, procedures and cultural structures that support diversity, equity and inclusion.
Trustees, executive leaders and managers are held accountable for implementing policies and practices to promote and maintain an inclusive, multicultural workforce reflecting the patient population served.
Example
Executive leaders hold managers accountable for ensuring diverse slates of candidates are considered for every open position.
Affirming an equitable system culture with continuous equity self-assessments of policies and practices that remove structural barriers to equity.
Workforce policies and strategies are designed and routinely evaluated to remove disparities and promote equity in the workplace.
Example
Hospital maintains a high retention rate of diverse staff members across all organizational levels.
Transforming beyond the system toward supporting a sustainable and equitable ecosystem of health care within the community.
Hospital invests in career pipelines and advancement pathways for historically underrepresented groups. Hospital makes strategic investments in local cradle-to-career initiatives.
Example
Hospital connects frontline workers to pathways for career advancement.
Inclusive, Local Sourcing
How might your hospital diversify its sourcing of local goods, services and food?
How might your hospital diversify its sourcing of local goods, services and food?
Our Definition:
Hospitals can leverage their supply chains to address the upstream economic and environmental conditions that have the greatest impact on their community members’ health. Hospital sources local goods, services and food to help build local wealth in the communities served.
Where on the continuum is your organization?
Exploring the values and resources needed to publicly commit to embarking upon a journey to achieve health equity.
Hospital collects demographic data based on supply chain and vendor sourcing information.
Example
Hospital conducts an audit of practices and policies related to purchasing and contracting.
Committing the resources to listen, learn, train and implement policies and practices that establish equity as standard practice.
Hospital develops strategic plan to diversify supply chain with equitable procurement policies and practices.
Example
Hospital has a supplier diversity program in place.
Immersing the leadership and system into accountability for policies, procedures and cultural structures that support diversity, equity and inclusion.
Trustees, executives and managers are held accountable for implementing policies and practices that promote an inclusive supply chain.
Example
Hospital’s supplier diversity program is reviewed annually and evaluated by its trustees for compliance with stated goals.
Affirming an equitable system culture with continuous equity self-assessments of policies and practices that remove structural barriers to equity.
Local sourcing programs and policies are routinely monitored, evaluated and made public.
Structural barriers to inclusive sourcing are identified and removed.
Example
The Healthcare Anchor Network’s toolkit covers how hospitals and health systems are supporting diverse and locally owned vendors and helping to incubate new community enterprises to fill supply chain gaps and drive local economic growth in their communities.
Transforming beyond the system toward supporting a sustainable and equitable ecosystem of health care within the community.
Hospital invests in building an inclusive supply chain and sourcing ecosystem with an equity framework.
Example
Local chambers of commerce, economic development initiatives and buyer diversity initiatives for historically underrepresented groups are supported by the health care system. The Healthcare Anchor Network’s toolkit series cover ways to institutionalize priorities to scale and sustain impact.
