Seattle Children’s Health Equity and Anti-Racism (HEAR) Council
Overview
Seattle Children’s established a Council to prioritize efforts to address systemic inequities experienced by our patients, families and workforce. Originally called the Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (HEDI) Council, as of April 2023, the Council has been renamed the Health Equity and Anti-Racism (HEAR) Council. This name change reflects the Council’s purpose – to support and provide additional oversight of the commitments Seattle Children’s made in the Health Equity and Anti-Racism (HEAR) Action Plan.
HEAR Council Vision and Mission
Vision
The Health Equity and Anti-Racism Council holds Seattle Children’s accountable to the commitment to being an anti-racist, inclusive and equitable organization.
Mission
We provide a venue for leaders and teams to engage in conversation and prioritization of health equity and anti-racism. We use goals, metrics and best practices to ensure equitable health outcomes, workforce experience and community impact.
HEAR Council Phase 2 Priorities
The HEAR Council has established the Phase 2 HEAR Action Plan priorities that they will oversee. The HEAR Council will begin meeting with teams leading various HEAR metrics across the organization in May 2023. Partnership is critical, and we expect our equity partners to collaborate; bring insight and transparency into their area of work; and utilize the tools and feedback provided by the HEAR Council through relentless and meaningful action and change.
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Workforce Development and Experience Priorities
Create and implement a strategy for recruitment, development and retention of racially and ethnically underrepresented groups.
Focus on nursing
- Workforce development, recruitment, retention, engagement and accountability.
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Health Equity and Access Priorities
Center patients, families and the community in our health equity and anti-racism journey.
Equitable outcomes
- Decrease Central Line–Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) rates: overall rates, rates for Black/African American patients and rates for patients who use a language other than English.
- Stratify Hospital Acquired Conditions (HACs) by Race, Ethnicity and Language (REaL) and maintain or decrease baseline rate of 2.23.
- Increase research participant racial and ethnic diversity by 3% to 34% relative FY22 numbers.
Patient care and experience
- Adaptive Social Response – focus on assaults that result in injury and use of violent restraints.
- Assess data collection modes for patients from diverse and historically underserved populations.
- Improve and increase resources for interpretation and translation services.
HEAR Council Members
- Joshua Bailey, Manager, Clinical Applications
- Jennifer Bateman, Board Governance Coordinator
- Michelle Cabrera, Physician, Chief – Ophthalmology
- Alphonso Emery, Director, Hospital Billing
- Sarah Greenberg, Physician, General Surgery, Hernia Program
- Emily Moore, Manager, Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Education
- Ndidiamaka Musa, Interim Co–Section Chief, Cardiac Critical Care
- Melissa Nibungco, Sr. Director, Development – Major Gifts and Grants
- Juliette Ofamen, Registered Nurse
- Arika Patneaude, Director, Bioethics and Palliative Care
- Johanna Sánchez-Vargas, Sr. Communications Specialist, Internal Communications
- Laura Sotelo Guerra, Program Manager – Partner Access Clinical Research Liaison
- Erin Tansey, Patient and Family Experience Specialist
- Paulene Toussaint, Director, People Operations
- Jennifer Tran, Strategy and Business Development Consultant