Together.Health Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee

Members

Committee Goals and Activities

Together.Health Pledges for a more Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Healthcare Industry

The purpose of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within an innovative healthcare organization is to incorporate the different elements that allow people to present their whole selves, celebrate their differences, collaborate, and innovate freely.

We acknowledge that the country is in the middle of an overdue reckoning towards its powerful role in our nation’s inequity. This also extends into the healthcare industry, where  Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other communities of color; women; LGBTQ+ communities; communities with disabilities; communities with low income; rural communities; and others living within and at the intersection of historically marginalized communities are significantly underrepresented within healthcare innovation and do not experience equal levels of patient care. 

Tragic disparities exist in health coverage, chronic conditions, mental health, and mortality. The inequity results from decades of systematic political, socioeconomic, housing, and healthcare inequality. The most vulnerable communities are African Americans or Black Americans, Hispanic Americans or Latinx Americans, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Americans, and American Indians or Alaska Natives. Discrimination continues to prevent LGBTQ Americans from healthcare access.

Organizations that foster and invest in DEI culture with a focus on vulnerable communities are more imaginative, inventive, creative, productive, and profitable. Having a deliberate and sustained DEI effort will ultimately address social determinants of health, such as poverty, segregation, environmental degradation, and racial discrimination, and eventually produce an equitable healthcare ecosystem.

Together as leaders in healthcare innovation, the signers of this letter recognize that racial inequity exists in our industry, our ecosystems, and in our companies, and we must take responsibility to fix these injustices through diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives which are intentionally broad in scope, specific in action, and outcome-driven in results. 

We all commit ourselves to addressing the following areas through measurable action: 

I PLEDGE TO

1. Engage, interact and listen to better my knowledge and understanding of the barriers that those living within and at the intersection of historically marginalized communities face, such as Black, Latinx, Indigenous and other communities of color; women; LGBTQ+ communities; communities with disabilities; communities with low income; rural communities; and others to better understand their experiences in my company and beyond

2. Organize opportunities to better my knowledge of the political, socioeconomic, housing, and historical barriers that impact the patient experience 

I will also commit to at least one of the following:

• Expand networking opportunities 

• Ensure that leadership team members are aligned and committed to championing equity, diversity, and inclusion at all levels of the company 

• Collaborate with other ecosystem leaders to share learnings and insights with one another 

I will also commit to at least one of the following: 

• Use my voice, influence, and network to advocate for change to address systemic issues within my ecosystem and community 

• Identify prospective leaders within the ecosystem and encourage them to learn about Together.Health and other organizations committed to advancements in diversity, equity, and inclusion

Examples of Measurable Action to advance DEI in health innovation

Adopted by Together.Health Members

Founders & Health Tech Startups

1. Collect demographic data on health tech founders to better assess and prioritize the inclusion of diverse founders across all programs. 

   1. Strive to ensure that a minimum of 60% of founders supported through our programs represent diverse communities such as Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, and other communities of color, LGBTQ+ founders, and women founders. 

2. Collect demographic data on judges in competition programs and strive for a diversified representation of perspective, both in terms of profession and lived experience. 

   1. For example, in addition to diverse race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation representation seek diverse representation of profession by including front-line staff such as nurses, medical assistants, providers, patient advocates, and community leaders in addition to healthcare executives, buyers, and decision-makers. 

Healthcare Partners

1. Focus on and prioritize healthcare organizations that predominantly serve historically marginalized or underserved communities and patients, such as those with low income, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other communities of color, LGBTQ+ communities, rural communities, people with disabilities, and more. 

2. Require that funding and grant opportunities to healthcare organizations are focused on those that serve a minimum of 30% Medicaid, Indian Health Services, uninsured, or rural populations.

Ecosystem Building, Programs, and Community engagement

1. Leverage our platform to advocate for, amplify, and support the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare and health innovation in every community facing opportunity. 

2. Continually identify and tracks goals and key performance indicators related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and representation. 

Events

1. Commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our events and ensure that, at a minimum, 50% of our speakers are women or gender nonbinary folks, and that 60% represent Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, North African and other communities of color. 

2. Offer virtual engagement opportunities for all events and training to improve accessibility for interested parties that may not otherwise be able to attend due to barriers such as income, geography, mobility, or time constraints. 

3. Donate 15% of profits from our events to nonprofit and community-based organizations whose missions are dedicated to advancing health equity in historically underrepresented and marginalized communities. 

4. Offer ample nonalcoholic options and minimize the promotion of alcohol at networking and conference events. 

5. Offer inclusive food options to accommodate multiple diets, such as vegetarian, kosher/halal, and allergies. 

HR and Internal Facing Efforts

1. Commit to continuous curiosity, growth, and improvement for opportunities to improve our hiring practices for implicit bias, inclusion, and diversity. Seek out, learn from, and adopt best practices for advancing DEI in our internal and external facing activities. 

2. Similarly, commit to a mindset of curiosity, growth, and improvement for our internal HR and team practices to foster safe, inclusive, and diverse environments for staff, partners, and clients. 

   • For example, offer a generous and flexible PTO policy that empowers employees to maintain a healthy work/life balance, and accommodate disabilities, parenting, and other considerations. 

   • Recognize and offer PTO options for all religious and cultural holidays, such as Eid, Diwali, and Yom Kippur. 

   • Provide a minimum of 10 hours of health equity, DEI, antiracism, and antihomophobia/transphobia training opportunities annually for all staff.

Advisory Councils

The Community Advisory Councils collaborate with leadership to support the organization’s diversity priorities. The Community Advisory Councils work to promote diversity and inclusion through shared decision-making, as well as emphasize diversity in every aspect of our institutional culture, reinforcing the core values of the organization's strategic plan. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion supports the work of the various community advisory councils.

The current Community Diversity Advisory Councils are:

• Asian American Advisory Council

• Black Advisory Council

• Disability Advisory Council

• Hispanic Advisory Council

• Two Spirit & LGBTQ Community Advisory Council

• Native American Advisory Council

• Religious Council

The Diversity Coordinating Council serves as the campus body responsible for:  

• Working with leadership to coordinate the Equity Scorecard and Diversity Strategic Plan  

• Championing institutional participation in the Diversity Strategic Planning process 

• Recommending D&I initiatives to the Senior Leadership Team for consideration  

• Advocating on behalf of diverse groups across the organization  

• Assist with the annual Diversity Symposium planning  

• Ensure D&I centralized, and decentralized Diversity Strategic Plan remains a "living" document of institutional accountability and transparency 

Demographic data and reports are captured based on key performance indicators for the following populations, and in support of D&I initiatives:

• Native American

• Black or African American

• Asian

• Hispanic or Latinx

• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

• White

• International

• Multiracial

The Office of Diversity & Inclusion facilitates messages, resources, and articles as well as a platform to surface and address current events impacting the community.

• Regular Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultation Hours are made available to provide private consultation about diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, structures, and ideas that will help all various aspects of the organization be more equitable and inclusive of the diverse population.