FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2008
Contact: Diane Johnson
617-262-2828
djohnson@thepartnershipinc.org
(BOSTON, MA) The region’s leading resource for workplace diversity solutions has called for Massachusetts hospitals and insurers to commit to having 30% of their top leadership roles held by professionals of color.
A Call for Massachusetts to Lead. "Massachusetts has long been a national leader on virtually every health care level," said Beverly Edgehill, The Partnership's President & CEO. "Doesn't it make sense for the Commonwealth to lead the nation in shattering the glass ceiling for health care professionals of color?"
On May 6, The Partnership convened “Rx for Change: A Talent Management Summit” for 125 of the Commonwealth’s top health care leaders. The summit examined imbedded practices that prohibit professionals of color from advancing and presented new strategies to remove barriers and elicit lasting, widespread change.
Speakers included Massachusetts's Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, M.D.; Sullivan Commission Chair, Dr. Louis Sullivan; Harvard School of Public Health's Dr. Leonard Marcus; and the President and CEOs of Partners HealthCare, Massachusetts General Hospital and Neighborhood Health Plan (Dr. James Mongan, Dr. Peter Slavin, and Deborah Enos, respectively).
A Call to Action. At the heart of The Partnership’s “call to action” was a proposal for a new paradigm of leadership in health care. Specific recommendations within the new paradigm included the following:
- The establishment of a cross-industry talent collaborative that shares leadership, direction and responsibility for increasing leaders of color in all aspects of health care.
- On-going, formalized ways to recognize excellence among health care professionals of color in research, clinical, administrative and community areas.
- A re-definition of “leadership” that can connect the talent of diverse professionals with the increasing complexities of health care management.
- A cross-industry model of career development that breaks down silos and, instead, encourages individuals, departments and organizations to reach across specialties and collaborate.
- Industry-wide best practices that ensure progress in new paradigm areas of engagement, development and advancement of professionals of color.
Action After the Call. Explaining the importance of ensuring “action after the call”, Edgehill released “Ten Ways to Start Adopting the New Paradigm”, a list of low-cost, high-yield ideas that health care leaders can adopt immediately.
“No one should sit here and wait for someone else to address this issue,” said Edgehill. “Each of us has a role to play in ensuring that professionals of color reach that talent tipping point.”
A New Conversation. “Rx for Change” is part of The Partnership’s new conversation about diversity. It is a conversation that looks at both individuals and institutions; talent as well as numbers; and solutions as well as problems. Over 200 of the region’s leading organizations are involved with The Partnership’s research, training, consulting and convening work. 2000 professionals of color have graduated from its leadership development programs.
Thank You. Rx for Change was generously sponsored by the following: Partners HealthCare, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Tufts Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, National Association of Health Services Executives, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and Neighborhood Health Plan.
To learn more about Rx for Change, click here.
