Diversity & Inclusion

Inclusion is creating a sense of belonging, feeling respected, valued and seen for who we are as individuals while ensuring that all people have the opportunity to fully engage and embrace their strengths of our differences so that collectively, we can do our best work to accomplish our goals.

Cultural Competence is the ability of health care providers and organizations to understand and respond effectively to the cultural and language needs brought by the patient to the health care encounter. Culture competence requires organizations and their personnel to: 1) value diversity; 2) assess themselves; 3) manage the dynamics of difference; 4) acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge; and 5) adapt to diversity and the cultural contexts of individuals and communities served.

Disparity was the original term used to focus attention on differences in health and healthcare. It connotes differences between groups in the quality of care, which are not due to access, preferences, or appropriateness of care. Now the terminology is moving to “equity”. It is a term that has less connotation of blame or deficiency of care, more connotation of good health and healthcare as being a right, and reflects our need to take positive action to make improvements for all groups and individuals.