Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity is having a seat at the table; Inclusion is having a voice; Belonging is having that voice be heard.

At Baystate Health we know that treating one another with dignity elevates respect, which is one of our core values, and it is what makes us not just an organization, but also a community. It is how we will advance the care and enhance the lives for all people while demonstrating how diversity, inclusion and equity help to make us better. Diversity has multiple identities (age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, job role, etc.), yet we all have a common focus: to improve the health of our community including our patients and their loved ones. It’s the spark that diversity and inclusion brings that adds to our brilliance!

Our Business Resource Groups celebrate diversity by being a respected voice that moves and creates positive, measurable impact while building an inclusive collaborative workplace that leverages the intersection of our diverse employees and communities. At Baystate health you can join us in putting diversity and inclusion into practice where we ALL belong.

We are one Baystate Health community, advancing care and enhancing lives.

We don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note. Only notes that are different can harmonize. The same is true with people.
– Steve Goodier
I love this quote from Barack Obama – one of our most inspired leaders: ‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.’ I am an ally.
– Paul Visintainer , PhD, Director, Scientific Integrity and Analysis, UMMS-Baystate Office of Research

#ElevatingDignity

#OneBaystate

Diversity is the way in which we differ as individuals or organizations. While we are diverse in multiple ways, our commonalities bring us together. This combination helps us to work collaboratively to succeed individually and as an organization.

Launching our new Baystate Health Wellness on Wheels (WoW) mobile health unit has been a true testament to Baystate Health’s commitment to equity. Working with the community and not ahead of the community is the tenet of the WoW bus strategy. We are teaching our medical and health profession students in the community and to see themselves as community partners. Every day is an opportunity for growth in learning as we work towards improving the health our communities.

~ Kelly Lamas, MPH, Mobile Health Project Coordinator, UMMS-Baystate

I take a lot of pride working as an educator for Baystate Health as I am fully supported in education, initiatives, and the ability to bring awareness to staff about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The mission of the hospital to ‘improve the health of the people in our communities every day with quality and compassion’ is not just a saying, but weaved into the fibers of how we train staff in providing care to all. To me, equity and fairness is who we are as an organization and how we conduct ourselves in all that we do.

 

~ Michele Johansson, MSN, RN, CNL, CEN, Nurse Educator

At Baystate Health, we are on a journey to examine our policies, practices and behaviors and to hard-wire sustainable change toward inclusivity and equity. Doing so is not only the right thing to do; it is a competitive advantage that compels people to want to work for Baystate Health and to receive the care and services we deliver. It makes us a better organization and is critical to the fulfillment of our charitable mission of improving the health in all the communities we serve.

 

~ Mark A. Keroack, MD, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer, Baystate Health

At Baystate Health, we have four primary goals relating to Diversity & Inclusion (The 4 C’s):

  1. Compassionate People: Attracting, developing and retaining diverse talent. Working to create an environment where you belong!
  2. Patient Care: Providing culturally-responsive and equitable patient care.
  3. Community Engagement: Working together with our community partners through a shared vision for the benefit of the community.
  4. Corporate Social Responsibility: Commitment to improving the health of the community through diverse efforts and initiatives.