Student name

Capella University

NHS FPX-5004

Professor Name

Submission Date

Slide 1:

Hi, I am ________. This is the first Diversity Project Kickoff Presentation of Lakeland Clinic. We aim to create a more diverse and culturally sensitive environment in which we will serve the needs of our diverse patient population, and in particular the Haitian community.

Slide 2:

Diversity Kickoff Presentation

The goals and vision of the diversity initiative to help break down cultural barriers and enhance the patient care experience will be presented. We will also discuss techniques for developing team cooperation and feedback loops with the community to make sure that we’re living our way in a good way and a responsive way. This project will serve as our first step towards our commitment to improving our cultural humility, equity, and inclusivity in all aspects of patient care at Lakeland Clinic.

Slide: 3

Goals and Initial Priorities for the Diversity Project

The primary goal of Lakeland Clinic’s diversity effort is to foster an environment that is supportive and culturally competent to respond to the needs of our diverse population, with a particular emphasis on the Haitian community. Studies have shown that the use of culturally competent frameworks of care can reduce the health gap dramatically and improve patient satisfaction. In this context, the first priorities will be to have a varied committee with representation from the community that we serve.

The committee will receive a charge to identify cultural barriers to access, promote cultural humility, and take actions to improve the patient care experience. It is also expected that there will be a joint vision within the project group that reflects the mission of the clinic to provide fair, respectful, and quality health care for all patients served by the clinic. The other key target is the creation of a ‘feedback loop’ with the community to afford flexibility to the project to respond to the community’s needs and concerns.

Slide: 4

Assumptions

There are a number of assumptions to the project in question. To begin with, it’s going to be diverse – the team members will all have different opinions and will require a good understanding of the level of diversity challenges that they’re facing. Additionally, sustaining a culture of inclusion by maintaining an open dialogue and creating a community is a strategy that has been proven to be effective; research indicates that factors related to the organization as well as staff motivation positively affect the development of cultural competence in the healthcare environment.

Also, each team member is to be culturally competent and to embrace learning with the community served. Thirdly, we believe that gaps in understanding can be filled through regular meetings with the team and community engagement activities. In addition, the availability of resources (in the shape of training and development opportunities on cultural competence) is assumed to be available to give the members of the team the necessary tools. Finally, the team assumes strong institutional support for the diversity project, which will enable the team to implement what they recommend and thus initiate changes.

Slide: 5

Team Composition for the Diversity Project at Lakeland Clinic

The Diversity Project at Lakeland Clinic will be a multidisciplinary team that will involve a nurse with community outreach experience, one with cultural competency, one with healthcare administrator skills, and one who is a patient advocate with first-hand knowledge of Haitian patients. The balanced approach ensures the team can gain a grasp of the diversity issue and manage it effectively.

All members will have knowledge of diversity in the workplace, issues of training or experience in cultural competency, issues of inclusion, and addressing health disparities. The nurse will receive training in cultural competency in a health-care environment, while the cultural competency specialist will have a wealth of knowledge in cultural competency regarding dealing with health-care disparities. The healthcare administrator will know how to oversee different teams and create welcoming environments, while the patient advocate will have previous experience interacting with the underrepresented community and make the team aware of the needs of the Haitian community and other minorities that use the clinic.

The team also will include external players other than the internal team members. A community liaison from a local Haitian advocacy group will provide relevant and valuable input on cultural issues that may not be understood in the clinic. This outsourced individual will help to establish a connection between the clinic and the community: The recommendations of this project will not simply be “right” for the clinic, but also for the community.

Another study found that when diversity and inclusion are aligned with health systems’ strategies for improvement, the impact on the workforce and services “is substantial. In addition, the research on interprofessional healthcare teams showed that when working on a diverse team, within a context of trust and harmony, it positively affects the team outcomes. This will result in a combination of internal and external membership, which will help in developing a holistic approach to the issue of diversity.

Slide: 6

Characteristics of a Diverse/Inclusive Workplace

In an inclusive and diverse work environment, individuals from diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives are recognized, respected, appreciated, and empowered to share their ideas and talents. This not only includes hiring a diverse workforce, but also fostering a workplace that embraces and nurtures diversity, fosters teamwork and collaboration, and values everyone’s perspective.

In such a scenario, employees would be psychologically safe, be more active in their roles, more innovative and creative in their performance, and more authentic, leading to increased stability and innovation in the company. Diversity and inclusion is much the same as diversity, but it is related to the level of integration within systems, decision-making, and access to resources in the workplace. Inclusive practices ensure all employees have an opportunity to thrive, feel like they belong, be mentored, have opportunities for growth, flexibility, and supportive policies.

Studies show that when there are evidence-based, efficient, and effective DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) practices, there is an increase in employee engagement, employee retention, and overall performance outcomes. When organizations establish a (U/D) environment and policies that are inclusive (both universal and equity-related) – including universal design accommodations, open career pathways, and equity-related leadership responsibility – both the workplace and the individual employee will thrive and reach their full potential. Lastly, an inclusive workplace is one that achieves equitable representation, active engagement, and institutional support to maximize the use of all the talents of the institution.

Slide: 7

Benefits of Promoting Diversity

Diversity breeds innovation and decision-making in an organisation, and overall performance is increased as different thoughts lead to an increased number of problems being solved. A diverse staff will be more responsive to a diverse customer base and will be able to better serve customers, resulting in greater customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, more inclusive workplaces increase employee engagement and retention and reduce turnover costs while providing long-term facilitated institutional learning. For example, morale will be boosted, and employees are more inclined to offer suggestions from different cultural or experience lenses when their own backgrounds and input are valued.

Overall, the strategies of diversity and inclusion have been effective in the healthcare industry and have already had an impact on patient care and employee engagement. For example, a study done by Khuntia reveals that healthcare organizations using the principles of diversity and inclusion within their teams have greater employee satisfaction and value to the users of their services, as they can better understand and provide care to more diverse groups of patients.

The other example is found in the article submitted by Esparza, who discusses the concept of “accurate success” at US medical schools and academic medical centers that highlight diversity and inclusion in building a culture of belonging that would improve the overall success of an organization. These all point towards a clear fact – implementing diversity and embedding it within the design of a health care system has not only ethical advantages, but also operational advantages, such as improved patient care, positive organizational culture, and greater trust in the system amongst members of the community.

Slide: 8

Conclusion

Another important step to a caring and culturally competent environment at Lakeland Clinic is the launch of the Diversity Project. We will ensure that what we do makes an impact in their community by fostering collaborative efforts (teamwork) and engaging in active community participation. The existing strategies would continue to break down cultural barriers and improve patient care, with the goal of improving health outcomes and gaining patients’ trust in the community. Our commitment to lifelong learning, feedback, and inclusiveness will be instrumental in bringing about long-term and significant change. Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the healthcare field can transform Lakeland Clinic into a model of all three.