Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Baptist Health maintains an organizational culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion as we deliver excellence in healthcare. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive climate where every patient, every family member, and every team member is welcomed and respected.
As a leading provider of healthcare in central Alabama, we strive to be a leader in ensuring equitable care for all. This means making sure every person entrusted to our care receives safe, high-quality healthcare. As a sign of our commitment, Baptist Health and all three Baptist Health hospitals have joined more than 1,700 hospitals and health systems from across the country in taking the American Hospital Association’s #123forEquity pledge designed to address and eliminate healthcare disparities.
We are committed to doing the work to uphold the kind of diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment our community deserves to have to receive their healthcare and to work.
Strategic Priorities
- Maintain a foundation of trust for dialogue about diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Increase diversity in leadership.
- Enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion education for leaders.
- Ensure the use of language and images in communication that place people first, are accessible, and are representative of our community.
- Establish a systematic approach to identifying variability in patient care provided to vulnerable patient populations to ensure health equity for all.
- Create cultural connections to support inclusion for team members.
- Develop regular feedback mechanisms throughout the organization to share Baptist Health’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and hear the experiences of team members.
- Maximize Baptist Health’s presence and voice in the community.
DEI Council
Baptist Health has a multidisciplinary team of 23 members on its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council. This advisory council aims to continually shape the organization’s culture to value diversity, equity, and inclusion. The DEI Council works together to establish priorities for DEI initiatives with intention, thoughtfulness, and structure. They make recommendations regarding DEI, monitor progress, and provide vision on issues related to patient, family, and community care, team member engagement, health equity, communication, strategic partnerships, and more.
The Baptist Health Pre-Med Scholars Program
The Baptist Health Pre-Med Scholars Program enhances access to experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students interested in becoming physicians, who are from historically underrepresented backgrounds in the field of medicine. This program is being launched in partnership with Alabama State University (ASU) and Tuskegee University (TU) and will offer experiences for physician shadowing, community engagement, medical simulation, health equity research, and education for pre-med students during their sophomore year or junior year.
Community Connection
Baptist Health’s DEI office sponsors Community Connection, a health equity initiative with a core tenant of removing barriers to healthcare access and increasing health literacy. Through Community Connection, Baptist Health partners with organizations and congregations to bring health education and screenings closer to home, increasing opportunities for equitable care. To learn more about how your congregation or community organization can collaborate with Baptist Health’s Community Connection team, please email our Community Events Coordinator, Isis Hunley, at IJHunley@baptistfirst.org.