Mission Health selected to participate in National Disparities Leadership Program

Mission Health is one of only nineteen organizations, including hospitals, pediatric hospitals and health plans, from the United States and Canada chosen to be part of a year-long executive leadership program designed to confront racial and ethnic disparities found in healthcare.  Mission Health, the only health system in North Carolina to be selected, strives to maintain a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees, patients and visitors -- regardless of race, color, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, physical ability, religious beliefs or other characteristics. 

“In 1996, Mission Health’s original diversity committee was established and then in 2013, we launched the training of cultural competency for all Mission employees,” said Dr. William Maples, Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer of Mission Health.  “Since the time the committee was established, we have continued to keep the lines of communication open with community minority organizations and quarterly define and build a disparities dashboard, reporting outcomes by demographics.  We are honored to have been selected to be a part of the Disparities Leadership Program.” 

The Disparities Leadership Program is a national breakthrough program, designed specifically for leaders from hospitals, health insurance plans and other healthcare organizations that seek to develop practical strategies to better eliminate racial and ethnic inequalities in healthcare.   The goal of the Disparities Leadership Program is to bring together a team of healthcare leaders who possess distinct leadership qualities including: skills to implement solutions that help transform their organization, expertise to develop quality improvement strategies that address disparities, and in-depth knowledge of the research and causes of healthcare disparities overall.  This is the eighth year of the Disparities Leadership Program.  It is sponsored by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and is supported by Joint Commission Resources (JCR), an affiliate of The Joint Commission. 

As outlined in the Mission Hospital Diversity Committee Charter, Mission Health is committed to educating employees in cultural competency, eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities, and partnering with community events and organizations to better eradicate healthcare discriminations.  The effort of the committee is vital to achieving Mission Health’s BIG(GER) Aim: to get each patient to the desired outcome, first without harm, also without waste and with an exceptional experience  for the patient and family.  For more information about Mission Hospital’s Diversity Committee, visit http://www.mission-health.org/about-us/vision-values/diversity-test/about-committee.