DEI efforts within health care organizations and among patient populations are inextricably linked together.

By Jennifer Compagni, Chief People Officer, CipherHealth

It’s no secret that healthcare organizations are staring down an unprecedented labor shortage. By 2025, it’s expected that the supply of healthcare workers will be outpaced by demand, leaving hundreds of thousands of critical healthcare jobs unfilled.

At the same time, long-standing societal and systemic issues around health equity persist, with wide disparities remaining in access to care and insurance, the treatment of mental health and chronic conditions, food security, housing, and more.

These two parallel issues, however, actually present healthcare leaders with a unique opportunity—to not only affect positive change within their organizations and communities—but also to demonstrate through action that they are committed to health equity, driving positive results, and developing workplace cultures that are diverse, empathetic, and meet the needs of a more socially conscious workforce.

By implementing a multi-dimensional approach to engaging with patients, staff, and family caregivers, healthcare systems are better equipped to measure progress, hold teams accountable, and commit to ongoing optimization of their stated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. In the process, providers can also create positive, inclusive experiences that deeply impact the entire care continuum.

Read the full article in BenefitsPRO, published on September 9, 2021.