The Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association is calling on healthcare organizations in the state, including hospitals, to improve the diversity of their governing boards.
The call to action — part of the association's overall diversity, health equity and inclusion strategy — was sent to healthcare organizations and other sectors in the state Dec. 15, according to a news release. It specifically urges organizations to ensure their boards of directors and trustees reflect the diverse backgrounds of patients and communities they serve.
"The pandemic has cast a new light on our widespread societal failure to address systemic inequalities in our healthcare delivery system," Kevin Churchwell, MD, president and CEO of Boston Children's Hospital, incoming chair of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association's board, and co-chair of the association's Standing Committee on Diversity, Health Equity and Inclusion, said in a news release. "There is no better time than now to unite and commit to eliminating these inequities, especially those affecting our most underserved and vulnerable populations."
Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association surveyed board demographics among hospitals in the state, representing a 98 percent response rate among its member acute care hospitals. Although numbers vary at individual facilities, the survey found hospital boards of trustees are, as a whole, nearly 20 percent racially/ethnically diverse and 38 percent women.
More specifically, the survey found that 81 percent of hospital board members are white, and 19 percent are people of color.
While the findings reflect the work hospitals have done regarding board diversity, they also show more work is needed, according to the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association.
Joseph Betancourt, MD, senior vice president of equity and community health at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital, who co-chairs the association's diversity, health equity and inclusion committee with Dr. Churchwell, cited collaboration as a key component in creating equity.
Dr. Betancourt also told The Boston Globe achieving board diversity is "about being intentional and deliberate about finding the best talent," and he advocated for better demographic data on hospital patients to develop programs targeting disparities.
More information about the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association's diversity, health equity and inclusion committee is available here.