The Institute for Health Equity with Cara Bland

Beyond the Lens

Beyond the Lens is Norton Healthcare’s podcast that informs and educates listeners so you can be informed to advocate for yourself, our patients, and every other employee at Norton Healthcare.

Episode 2

In this episode: The Institute for Health Equity with Cara Bland

In this episode, our host, Felecia Patterson, Inclusion Manager, speaks with Cara Bland, Director of the Institute for Health Equity at Norton Healthcare. Felecia and Care talk about why the Institute is an important part of Norton Healthcare and an essential service to the community, about internal and external partners who contribute to the impact of the Institute, and about community events that help to strengthen the connection between providers and the community.

To learn more about the Institute for Health Equity, visit our website here: https://nortonhealthcare.com/about-us/institute-for-health-equity/

More about Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Norton Healthcare

At Norton Healthcare we value, appreciate and respect the diversity of our employees, patients and the communities we are so privileged to serve. We work to maintain an inclusive environment in which our employees, volunteers and suppliers understand and reflect the diversity of the people we serve.

Our culture of respect encompasses inclusion, and we integrate the diverse backgrounds, characteristics and skills inherent in every person to help us live our values, meet our organizational goals and provide the best possible care to those we serve.

A culture of inclusion supports and serves Norton Healthcare’s mission in the following ways:

• Health equity: Maintaining a culture of inclusivity ensures health equity by providing an environment of understanding and respect for the diversity of the patients we serve and our employees. As such, we strive to promote LGBTQ health equity and access to care and develop effective partnerships with LGBTQ organizations, agencies and allies. Additionally, through training and our Employee Resource Groups, we enhance the cultural competency of our employees to improve their understanding of inequities so we can eliminate health disparities.
• Best talent: As the demographics of our community and candidate pool continue to change, focus and attention on inclusion will enable us to ensure that we hire, develop, retain and fully engage the best employees.
• Best medical outcomes: The rapidly changing demographics and cultural characteristics of our patients, their families and those we serve deserve continuous and consistent demonstration of the highest levels of respect, including an understanding of their diverse needs, so we retain their confidence in us as the provider of choice in their communities and provide them with the best quality, caring and medical outcomes available.
• Innovation: A well-led, inclusive environment will enable us to recognize, value and proactively welcome and embrace the individual experiences, ideas, perspectives and outlooks of all employees. An inclusive culture will greatly contribute to innovation and problem solving as we continuously improve our ability to enhance our care delivery models and meet the overall mission and vision of Norton Healthcare.
• Stewardship: A diverse and inclusive culture allows us to enhance the financial stability of Norton Healthcare by obtaining and managing high-quality, cost-effective suppliers; and enhance revenues by increasing market share in all communities and qualifying for single-payer opportunities and government contracts.

For more information, or to leave feedback for the show, contact the Equity, Inclusion and Belonging department at [e-mail]