Hospitals and health systems across the U.S. have been focused on deploying key diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and programs. For Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, this work has been ongoing for over 15 years, with a more recently launched multi-year initiative that aims to be more inclusive of clinical areas, better known as Partnering for Cultural Growth.
"We found that we needed to have an increased presence and a commitment to expanding support in the clinical areas through this initiative," Gilbert Davis, CHOP's vice president and chief diversity officer, told Becker's. "Partnering for Cultural Growth is meant to bring the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion's resources to clinical areas in a more intentional and creative manner."
"With this initiative, we carved out a multi-year plan," Mr. Davis said. "And we have seen good results. We've taken an approach for the enterprise to achieve the level of DEI engagement that is evidenced by individual and organizational sustained change." Part of this engagement is actively approaching and supporting teams, departments and divisions through dialogue and meaningful collaboration.
"If you take a specific area of the hospital for example, we partner with leaders and front-line staff to ensure that our programming and initiatives are tailored to meet the specific DEI needs that align with their work, patient populations and lived experiences," explained Mr. Davis.
Through the initiative, individuals share their experiences via anonymous surveys, open office hours and one-on-one discussions. The Office of DEI then examines feedback to highlight insights, which are shared with leaders as themes, along with an approach and plan for next steps, Mr. Davis said.
After assessing and sharing feedback as appropriate, employees are also invited to participate in cultural kickoff meetings to learn more about the insights, observations and engagement timeline for results. These meetings may include all levels of staff, depending on the themes to be addressed.
"Some members of the workforce may be uncomfortable during this period of transformation. However, we have to embrace this in order to get comfortable with these discussions and to make progress," Mr. Davis added.
As a result of these efforts, the Office of DEI has been able to scale customized training, engage departments in intentional work to amplify and celebrate cultural heritage months and support wellness opportunities, Mr. Davis said.
Moving forward, CHOP is working to ensure that the initiative reaches all areas of the organization, he said.
Mr. Davis said DEI work is owned by employees, and, therefore, the hospital envisions a model where each department has a dedicated "DEI Champion" who will partner with the DEI office to help ensure that DEI is fully integrated into their respective domains.