Advancing Health Equity and Inclusion in an Academic Pediatric Medical Center: Priorities Addressed and Lessons Learned

Abstract

To provide optimal, equitable care to patients, hospital systems must have intentional efforts to advance health equity. We present both intentional and actionable steps that our senior executive leadership prioritized to improve the health equity of the children and families we serve and to create a more inclusive working and learning environment for our employees, staff, faculty, and trainees in our academic pediatric medical center. The four key concepts or lessons learned that we found essential to successfully advancing and sustaining equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in our academic pediatric medical center were to 1) Prioritize the strategy for EDI at the levels of the Board of Trustees and senior executive hospital leadership, 2) Collaborate with multi-disciplinary departments, offices, programs, and subject matter experts, 3) Take an Academic Approach by creating educational initiatives and scholarship in EDI, and 4) Commit to intentionality and accountability in the work by developing and tracking metrics for EDI and health equity safety disparities. Our hospital’s approach to its EDI goals and initiatives can serve as a roadmap for other academic medical centers and healthcare organizations in their efforts to improve health equity for all patients, families, and communities.Key ConceptsIn an academic pediatric medical center, four key concepts are essential to advancing and sustaining equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) to create and sustain an equitable and inclusive working and learning environment for all employees, staff, faculty, and trainees1 (Figure 1).•Prioritize health EDI in the strategic goals endorsed by the Board of Trustees and Senior Executive Hospital Leadership.•Collaborate with multidisciplinary clinical and nonclinical departments, programs, offices, and subject matter experts. Examples of our collaborations include the Boston Children’s Offices of Health Equity and Inclusion, General Counsel, Faculty Development, Community Health, Graduate Medical Education, and Experience and Culture; the Human Resources Department, Nursing/Patient Care Operations Department, Health Affairs Department, Program for Patient Safety and Quality, Boston Children’s Academy for Teaching and Educational Innovation and Scholarship, Institutional Review Board and Research Administration; and the Harvard Medical School’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Partnership.•Take an academic approach and create educational and research health EDI initiatives through improving existing knowledge of key drivers and mechanisms underlying health inequities.•Commit to intentionality and accountability for all health EDI initiatives through the development of assessment metrics and strategies to promote accountability.