Community Health Association of the Dakota’s (CHAD) has created a detailed diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) action plan and an internal work group committed to learning together and moving forward their collective priorities.
CHAD’s mission includes a commitment to “foster healthy communities” and to “increase access to affordable, high-quality care for all.” I am so proud of those aspirations, and of the work health centers do every day to provide great care to a range of communities, populations, and individuals who need it most. AND, if we are honest, we have a long way to go to achieve great health outcomes for ALL in our two states. The deepest disparities we see are by race.
There are many ways to illustrate these disparities. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collects data by race on mortality amenable to health care. North Dakota and South Dakota rank right behind Mississippi as having the highest mortality amenable to health care for any single population, with 206.7 (ND) and 215.1 (SD) deaths per 100,000 for American Indian/Alaska Native populations. Their mortality amenable to health care rates for Whites is 69.4 (ND) and 68.5 (SD), leaving a difference of more than 300%.
While the story that has led to these disparities is long and complex, the bottom line for CHAD is that we deeply want to help our states do better. We want to do better ourselves by being a more diverse and inclusive organization that is actively working to promote health equity. At CHAD, we have looked across our entire organization and identified opportunities to infuse the goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) throughout our work, whether that be hiring practices, organizational culture, programming, training, or other areas. We have created a detailed DEIB action plan and an internal DEIB work group that is committed to learning together and moving forward our collective priorities.
As part of those efforts, CHAD’s internal DEIB action team has worked collaboratively with the full CHAD staff team to develop language which expresses our commitment to DEIB both internally and externally. This language is meant to both give context to the disparities we see and to express our commitment to addressing them. After much discussion and reflection, this statement was developed by staff and approved by our Board of Directors:
“We acknowledge that unfair policies and practices have led to health inequities across race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, geography, and other identities. Health centers are rooted in the civil rights movement, and we aspire to build on this legacy by working collaboratively with others to see equitable health outcomes in our communities. We bring with us a commitment to continued learning and growth, as well as a recognition of the need for urgent action.”
You can find this language under the “About Us” section of the CHAD website, and you’ll also notice us utilizing it in presentations and other communications. In addition, the action team updated CHAD’s diversity hiring statement, which now reads:
“CHAD is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and belonging. We welcome the unique contributions that candidates bring and strive to attract staff from diverse backgrounds, including Black, Indigenous, & people of color (BIPOC), people with experiences of poverty, LGBTQ+ individuals, people living in rural areas, veterans, immigrants, and people with disabilities. We understand that the more inclusive we are, the better we can serve our members and their communities.”
The use of this statement is part of a more comprehensive effort to ensure that career opportunities at CHAD reach a diverse group of candidates and that our organization continues to grow in diversity. Both statements help to formalize CHAD’s ongoing commitment to DEIB and offer our staff a north star to continuously move toward.
In alignment with these goals, CHAD has a variety of activities planned over the course of the next year. If you have questions or would like to learn more about our DEIB efforts, please reach out to Shannon Bacon, director of health equity and external affairs.
Source: CHAD Connections Newsletter; July 2023
The Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas (CHAD) supports health centers in their mission to provide access to high-quality, reliable, affordable health care, regardless of where they live. Learn more.
