Action Categories

Inclusion Education and Training at WellSpan Health

Challenge

Build Diversity & Inclusion Awareness among Team Members.

Actions

Under the leadership of Kim Brister, WellSpan’s 20-member Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee – established in the fall of 2019 – has led the organization’s efforts to strengthen team member awareness about diversity and inclusion. Key actions include the creation and implementation of two new policies designed to expand team member responsibilities for inclusive conduct, as well as outline patient responsibility for non-discriminatory requests. The Committee also designed standard work and a decision tree to aid team members in navigating potentially discriminatory patient requests. The Committee creates original content and curates best practice information shared through a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Resource page on the organization’s intranet, advanced a required DEI educational module for all team members, and hosts shared learning experiences around key observances and holidays during the year. The Committee led the implementation of the organization’s first culture assessment and the efforts to enhance the organization’s human resource information system to accept sexual orientation and gender identify information for employees. Additionally, DEI education is provided in twice-yearly Team Chats at WellSpan – organizational update sessions hosted by Executive Leaders.

Outcomes

All 20,000 team members completed the DEI required education in the organization’s Learning Management System, and 10,000 team members learned about microaggressions in the latest round of Team Chats in the Spring of 2021. The DEI Resource page has received 5,700 visits by nearly 2,000 team members; and 51 percent of WellSpan’s workforce took the inaugural Culture Assessment, revealing an opportunity to improve the sense of belonging among minority WellSpan team members.

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