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Diversity and Cultural Competency Council (DCCC) |
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The newly expanded Children's Hospital Diversity and Cultural Competency Council (DCCC) led by Valerie Ward, MD, MPH, and Michelle Gordon-Seemore, Director of Staffing, under the guidance of the Executive Steering Committee, is charged with recommending and implementing changes to ensure culturally competent care to a diverse patient population, as well as to recruit and retain a diverse workforce.
Among their may accomplishments include the development of new community initiatives to recruit qualified employees, the selection of outstanding diverse employees to participate in professional development programs, and the implementation of cultural competency training.
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The roughly 35 employees on the DCCC Council come from all levels of the organization- managers, VPs and front-line employees alike.
The Executive Steering Committee includes:
Laurie Cammisa, JD, VP of Child Advocacy;
S. Jean Emans, MD, director of the Office of Faculty Development
Inez Stewart, MEd, VP of Human Resources;
Eva Gomez, MSN, RN, staff development specialist;
Michelle Gordon-Seemore, DCCC recruitment and retention director and director of staffing and recruitment, Human Resources;
Eileen Sporing, MSN, RN, senior VP of Patient Care Operations; and
Valerie Ward, MD, MPH, DCCC faculty director and staff radiologist.
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Faculty and staff on the DCCC Council divided themselves into five working groups:
Research Working Group
Tracking Metrics Working Group
Education and Cultural Competency Working Group
Respectful Interactions Working Group
Workforce Diversity Working Group
Throughout the year the working groups have collected and reviewed baseline data on patient and staff diversity and satisfaction. The groups have also recommended enhancements to CHB's internal and external websites that affirm its commitment to diversity and inclusion. This includes the launching of Children's Hospital's website for Spanish speaking patients and providers.
In the upcoming year, the working groups will identify issues important to diverse populations, develop improved measurement tools, and create and implement diversity and cultural competency training.
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The DCCC is pleased to announce that a Blue Cross/Blue Shield "Pathways to Culturally Competent Care" grant proposal has received two years of funding. The proposal was co-authored by Valerie Ward, MD, MPH and the DCCC Research Working Group.
The DCCC would like to thank Drs. Camilia Martin (Newborn Medicine) and Sharon Redd (Anesthesia) who represented Children's Hospital Boston at the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) and the Student National Medical Association Conferences (SNMA), respectively. They both enjoyed the chance to network with local and national representatives of the minority medical community and to broaden awareness of opportunities at Children's Hospital.
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- Improve cultural competency across Children's
- Recruit, develop and retain a diverse work force.
- Promote health care disparities research
- Track the metrics related to diversity and cultural competency initiatives
- Foster respectful interactions among staff
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Eva Gomez, RN, MSN is a specialist dedicated to diversity and cultural competency issues at Children's.
Gomez joined Children's in 2007 as a staff development specialist charged with developing cultural competence education for the Nursing Department. Her cultural competence curriculum is used in nursing classes and in simulated learning exercises. Gomez also teaches new nurses how to deliver culturally competent care.
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