Diversity and Inclusion in Leadership and Governance

Executive Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic’s disproportionate impact on people of color has accelerated the integration of health equity into health care strategy playbooks across the nation. Within health care settings, from urban to rural and from hospitals to ambulatory care sites and clinics, there is renewed focus on efforts to advance health equity. Furthermore, there is growing recognition that a commitment to promoting equitable practices is tied to the core work of improving quality and patient safety.

Background on IFDHE Toolkit Series

To support hospitals and health systems starting from different points on their journey to achieve health equity, the AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity (IFDHE) is releasing a series of toolkits to share evidence-based practices to inform organizational next steps for the following topics:

• Data collection, validation, stratification and application of patient information to address disparate outcomes
• Cultural humility and implicit bias training and education
• Diversity and inclusion in leadership and governance roles
• Sustainable community partnerships focused on improving equity

Each toolkit is designed to be informative, regardless of whether organizations have already deployed health equity tactics and strategies or if they are in the early stages of implementation. Each helps lay the groundwork for an in-development equity roadmap to support hospitals’ and health systems’ efforts toward achieving high-quality, equitable care for all.

This toolkit focuses on developing diversity and inclusion leadership strategies at the board level. It also encourages significant governance changes throughout health care organizations