Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Committed to Health Equity

Hospitals and health systems are intensifying their focus to ensure all patients receive high-quality, equitable care. AnMed Health in Anderson, S.C., is working to achieve the three core elements of the AHA’s #123forEquity Pledge to Act. #1: AnMed health collects and uses patient race, ethnicity and language data. #2: AnMed Health provides diversity and cultural competency training during orientation for new employees and nurses and through required, annual computer-based education for all employees. Additional training is available for system leaders. #3: For leadership diversity, AnMed participates in the Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina. In addition, AnMed is a partner in the Anderson Access to Care Coalition, part of the SC Healthy Outcomes Plan, to prevent readmissions for uninsured patients with chronic diseases who are high ED utilizers. The coalition currently serves 435 participants, and 87 percent of active enrollees had no ED visits in their first 12 months of participation. At AnMed hospitals, employee resource groups help promote a diverse, inclusive and supportive work environment. Plans for 2017 include expanding video conferencing capabilities to improve cross-cultural care and participating in Project SEARCH, a transition-to-work program for students with disabilities. AnMed recently released “Health Equity: The Case, the Call, and the Commitment.

For more information, contact Juana Slade, chief diversity officer and director, at juana.slade@anmedhealth.org or Richard Grooms, chief human resources officer, at rick.grooms@anmedhealth.org.