The HLTH team is saddened and outraged by the racially motivated violence that pervades our society and the most recent string of horrific incidents that have forced an ugly truth into the light. There is no more fundamental health goal than the assurance of personal safety and the ability to engage in daily life without fear of violence or discrimination. If we desire a world where any of us can live safely and peacefully, we must defend the rights of all of us to do so. This is very personal to us as an organization, members of the healthcare community and as fellow citizens.

HLTH condemns racism in all forms, individual and systemic. We champion inclusion, diversity and kindness. We stand for justice for Black Americans and all other marginalized people, and recognize that by definition equality is only possible when it applies to everyone. To our healthcare colleagues, we urge resolve on the part of our industry to combat racism and other inequities as part of our mandate to heal. At HLTH, we are determined to do our part.

In 2019, we established the HLTH Foundation to develop and support initiatives that promote equality, diversity and access in healthcare. Through its partnerships with United States of Care, Parity.org and The Advancement League, HLTH has already taken steps to advance equitable access to care and promote diversity in the healthcare workforce.

CSweetener, HLTH Foundation’s virtual mentorship program for women in healthcare, relaunched earlier this year with an expanded focus on diversity and inclusion, including: new support for intersectional women to help them combat the injustices that obstruct their paths to leadership; recruitment of mentors who can help mentees develop leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion; adoption of inclusive language; and collecting participant demographics that will help ensure the program serves all women fairly.

Bringing to bear the platforms of both the Foundation, the HLTH event and content platforms, we are taking the following additional actions to address racism and enable equal opportunities for health, safety and inclusion in healthcare, for all people.

Immediate Measures

• Having already taken Parity.org’s Parity Pledge, HLTH has also taken the Diversity Pledge, a commitment to interview at least one person of color for every open position at the level of vice president or higher, including the c-suite and board of directors. Please join us and take the pledge!
• HLTH staff will refuse speaking engagements that fail to meet standards for race and gender diversity

HLTH VRTL (October 12-16)

• Full-day event dedicated to Health Equity that will boldly explore race as a social determinant of health, racism in healthcare, new approaches to public safety and the path to health equity. Shaping keynotes and debates around themes that address race, justice and at-risk populations, including Inequities and Disparities in Health, Access to Affordable and Quality Care, Mental and Behavioral Health, and and COVID-19’s Impact
• 2nd Annual Women at HLTH event, with a focus on organizational strategies for achieving gender parity in healthcare leadership and health outcomes
• Race and gender integrated as considerations in speaker invitations and in evaluating agenda diversity for HLTH and partnered programs

Ongoing Initiatives

• Partnership with Break Into the Boardroom to help drive gender parity on healthcare boards
• Annual research with Oliver Wyman to expand knowledge around gender parity in healthcare
• Direct outreach or partnership with organizations devoted to underrepresented executives, providers, patients, government officials and startup founders, as a means of driving opportunities to underrepresented groups via the HLTH platform (i.e., invited speaking roles, startup pitch competition, guest blogs, etc.)

2021 and Beyond

• Hosting a HLTH GoLIVE webinar series focused on health equity
• Hosting a HLTH GoLIVE webinar series focused on gender parity
• Expanding HLTH Matters blog posts and executive interview series to include issues related to the mission of the HLTH Foundation, including racism in healthcare
• Ensuring the use of inclusive language in all materials

We recognize that this is only a beginning. We will continue driving toward our vision of an equitable health future and welcome your partnership on the journey. Let’s work together to make change on the side of right and goodness.

Be well,

Janna Guinen

Executive Director

HLTH Foundation