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Diversity, equity, and inclusion
We value the diversity of the people we care for and are committed to helping every person live the healthiest life possible. This means acknowledging each individual's unique lived experience, culture, values, and beliefs.
Our commitment
The connection between health and the understanding of how these differences can impact health outcomes is inextricably linked. There should be no room for disparities when it comes to people’s heath and their lives. Furthermore, it is our intention that everyone feels a sense of belonging when experiencing care from an Intermountain caregiver or as an Intermountain caregiver themselves.
Our equity objectives
Equity Framework
These aims are fulfilled through an Institute of Medicine framework that allows us to be a learning and growing organization in the area of equity.
Learn
Illuminate our own understanding and awareness of diverse experiences, perspectives, values, cultures, beliefs and practices, that will promote inclusion and foster belonging for all. This will be accomplished by facilitating capacity building, in the area of equity, among leaders, caregivers, affiliate providers, community partners and governance teams. Everyone must take ownership in promoting inclusive behaviors and removing barriers that result in adverse experiences perpetuated by systemic norms.
Measure
Identify metrics that expose disparities and demonstrate progress toward eliminating inequities through process, output and outcomes measures. This will be accomplished by building a robust infrastructure to support equity data analytic needs across enterprise, thereby enabling leader capability for customized-assessment of baselines and performance across various measures.
Transform
Taking intentional action to drive equity within the organization in efforts to catalyze the delivery of care experiences, caregiver and member belonging and community health impact. This will be accomplished by leveraging our organizational equity journey, growth and learnings through new awareness and evaluation to guide meaningful change throughout outcomes and experiences of those whose lives Intermountain has the privilege of impacting.
Sustain
Hardwire a culture of equity into the fabric of organizational thinking, decision-making, and action, to ensure that optimal health and well-being for all, is centered in day-to-day activities and choices. This will be accomplished by integrating accountability structures of equity to codify the way we do business to ensure consistent positive outcomes, behaviors, communication, and experiences.
Equity in all we do
How we think about equity is wholistic and incorporates four population groups: our caregivers, our patients, our members and our community.
Community equity
Achieving health equity requires ongoing efforts to identify and address obstacles to health. It also involves understanding and addressing the social determinants of health that serve as drivers of overall health. Equity focuses on achieving fair and consistent outcomes across cultural and identity-based demographics for individuals and groups.
We are taking several steps to bring equity into our work in the communities we serve, including:
- Actively engaging in equity chambers of commerce across Utah, Nevada, and Idaho. We collaborate with these chambers through board membership and active volunteer participation of our workforce. In addition, we provide funding for equity-related chamber efforts and offer other forms of leadership and support to strengthen their growth.
- Established an equitable insurance coverage committee and developed policy recommendations presented and accepted by the One Utah Roadmap. In addition, we supported and funded partners to increase insurance access for underserved individuals and developed white-label materials and resources for all partners to customize, use, and distribute. Through this work, we worked alongside partners to enroll 12,000 individuals in Medicaid, CHIP, and the marketplace.
- Developed training materials and presented to more than 52 external partners around access, financial assistance, and Connect Care as an affordable telehealth option.
Caregiver equity
The Office of Equity and Inclusion works hard on ensuring that Intermountain Healthcare is an equitable place of employment.
Recently, some of their efforts include:
- Intentional focus on hiring to better represent the communities that Intermountain serves.
- Education for our leaders and caregivers on building a more inclusive organization and team.
- Opportunities for career development
Patient and member equity
Our Patient and Member Equity focus has been on ensuring every patient and member has access to communicate with their provider in a language they feel most comfortable.
Intermountain Healthcare takes reasonable steps to ensure that persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), or physical and mental disabilities, including persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, have meaningful access and an equal opportunity to participate in our services, activities, programs and other benefits. We ensure meaningful communication with LEP patients and their authorized representatives by providing free interpretation services at all points of contact and during all hours of operation.
Our teams have developed cultural sensitivity from being exposed to a diverse and multicultural patient population. Through this, they keep patients’ needs top-of-mind, and it comes naturally to them to seek the help of interpretation services. They are also great advocates for patients if providers are rushing a procedure, but the situation necessitates interpretation services.