A message from Lynn Guerriero, President, Niagara Health
At Niagara Health, we hope that everyone who walks through our doors feels safe, valued and above all, cared for. Our purpose of Extraordinary Caring, for every person, every time calls for us to treat one another with dignity, respect, and compassion.
Our staff, physicians, volunteers, patient partners, and learners come from a variety of different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. Their experiences and expertise are integral to our ability to provide high-quality, safe care to all members of our community. In fact, the values of diversity and inclusivity have made us a stronger, more effective, and more compassionate organization.
To celebrate our diversity as strength, we are pleased to share a video project that highlights team members, volunteers, and partners from across Niagara Health sites:
We acknowledge our responsibility to take action to ensure our attitudes and behaviours are aligned with the words of inclusion we speak. This campaign is part of ongoing NH activities that work to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.
As a strategic priority for Niagara Health, a renewed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan has been developed by our broader team and approved by our Board of Directors. Please see below key updates as part of this work:
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee: We are pleased to share that we now have a group of 18 champions from across the organization: 14 staff members, two physicians, and two patient partners. This committee helped to shape the overall DEI plan for 2021-2022
- Cross-organization training has started to role out, beginning with HR and leadership teams. This training will focus on cultural awareness and unconscious bias.
- Consultation with patient partners: We are continuing to build out and enhance consultation with patient partners. For example, as part of the planning of the South Niagara Site, Niagara Health and Indigenous community members have developed an Indigenous Committee to provide feedback related to the South Niagara Hospital design and development. This feedback is essential to deliver culturally-safe care.
- Review of NH practices: In the coming months, we will be working with diversity and equity experts to conduct a review of NH policies, processes, and procedures. We’ll also conduct a confidential survey with our team members.
- Expanding recruitment: Our leadership core competencies have been updated with input from diversity and inclusion experts. We have and will continue to consult with community leaders to expand our recruitment efforts and reach underrepresented groups.
