Black History Month: Focusing on the importance of inclusion and diversity
Black History Month has great significance and deep meaning that we believe is especially relevant to nurses, physicians and others who work in healthcare. We care for people from every race and culture at the bedside and in our communities, and we see firsthand the racial disparities in health care that we learned about growing up.
At Beacon Health System, we celebrate our people, ideas and experiences and are creating a culture where all associates are appreciated, valued and able to contribute to their full potential. Our mission and values compel us to think about not only who we are internally, but also how racism and our biases affect the care we deliver in our communities. What becomes most important as we continue to identify our opportunities is our actions, because this will not happen on its own. It must be intentional.
“Beacon’s leaders are encouraging all of us to evolve beyond our current mindset and skillset, to see, think and feel beyond where we are now in order to become an organization that truly reflects and responds to the diverse community that we serve, says Kimberlie Warren, PhD, director, Diversity and Provider Well-Being. “Beacon will not be the great workplace or the Beacon of health in our community without acknowledging and working through the diversity, equity and inclusion lens. Our world is changing so rapidly and we have to keep up with the pace as best we can.”
Ways we are celebrating
The 2022 Black History Month national theme is “Black Health and Wellness.” This allows us the unique opportunity to celebrate both the historic medical contributions of African Americans as well as the current contributions of those who work at Beacon Health System.
In the coming weeks, we will feature associates like Tom Johnson, Elkhart General plant operations project coordinator, who will soon be celebrating 40 years of service at Beacon. He will reflect on the reasons it is important for our health system to celebrate Black History Month in our first associate profile. We will also highlight Darice Ruth, Beacon Speech Diagnostics Clinic patient service representative; and Chekesha Donaldson, Memorial Hospital Surgical Services administrative coordinator.
Ruth helps lead the Black/African American associate resource group that was formed at Beacon in September 2021. The group, which already has more than 70 members, is working to advance a diverse and inclusive work environment at Beacon, with a focus on the work and community experience of Black/African American associates.
We’ll link to these associate profiles right here for you, so keep checking back. We will also share the stories of inspiring Black/African American medical pioneers on our Beacon Health Facebook page.
- Black History Month: Tom Johnson reflects on his nearly 40-year career at Beacon
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Black History Month: Information analyst appreciates Beacon’s focus on diversity, equity, inclusion
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Black History Month: Recognizing African Americans in February helps “give them a voice”
Learn more
- Click here for more information about the origin of Black History Month from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
- The full list Black History Month themes dating back to 1928 can be found here.
- Read about notable Black nurses throughout history here.
