When we launched this newsletter last year, we picked the name Beth Israel Lahey Healthier Together in part because it reflects who we are as a system and our core mission: to work together to help make our patients and our communities healthier. Today, it’s that very same mission that requires that we lean into the urgency of now, when it comes to fostering an organizational culture that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
This summer, we brought together the DEI Task Force, charged with recommending a set of actions BILH can take to address systemic racism, institutional bias and inequity. With more than 35,000 employees and more than a million people counting on us for their health care, we have a profound responsibility to drive change. The Task Force embraced this critical undertaking with passion and commitment. They spent 10 weeks taking an honest look at where we are today, gathering perspectives from our clinicians and staff, and identifying national best practices that can inform our efforts.
The Task Force has shared a set of 21 thoughtful, strategic recommendations with real opportunity for impact across six priority areas: infrastructure; culture and leadership; talent; patient care; academics; and community investment. I have embraced all of their recommendations, which now form the foundation for BILH’s multi-year Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Roadmap.
In this short video, members of the Task Force give voice to our vision for the future.
As we begin to implement our DEI Roadmap, we have created a webpage that outlines our commitment to this vital work. Our ability to have meaningful impacts over time will require each of us to play a role, and I encourage you to take some time to learn more by visiting www.bilh.org/dei. We’ll be updating this page regularly with new content and updates on our progress over time.
Many of the 21 actions we have committed to as part of our Roadmap will take time, and some can be implemented immediately. Today, I want to announce some of the key initiatives we have already begun to put in place.
We have launched a national search for a Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, who will report to me and be part of the BILH executive leadership team.
We have established the DEI Council to help inform our efforts on an ongoing basis, with the DEI Task Force participants serving as the first set of Council members.
We are developing system and local responsibility to drive our DEI work forward, including the assignment of executive sponsors to lead workgroups for each action, identification of “local champions” to help advance our efforts within our hospitals and business units, and the development of DEI-related accountability measures for executive leaders.
We are augmenting our BILH system Incident Command structure to include a health equity expert who will help us meet the challenges of COVID-19, which continues to disproportionately impact communities of color.
These steps are only the beginning of what is a long-term, BILH-wide commitment. We know our efforts will require sustained attention and focused effort, even as we face other critical priorities, including a second wave of COVID-19. They also require an acknowledgement that we have fallen short in the past – and that we will make mistakes as we move forward. We may hit some bumps in the road, but our direction is very clear.
Please join us in making Beth Israel Lahey Health the inclusive, welcoming organization we want and need to be – for our patients, our communities and each other. Together, let’s take this on with the spirit and determination that make us who we are. We will certainly be a better and stronger organization because of it.
Thank you for all that you do.
Kevin Tabb, MD
President and CEO, Beth Israel Lahey Health
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If you have feedback about or ideas for this newsletter, please email us at communications@bilh.org.