On Monday, May 9 the Maryland Hospital Association announced that Maryland is the first state with 100 percent participation in the national effort to reduce disparities in the health of minority populations. Through the Equity of Care campaign, participating hospitals agree to:
- Choose a quality measure to stratify by race, ethnicity and language preference
- Determine whether a health care disparity exists, and if so, implement a plan to address the gap
- Provide cultural competency training for all staff or finalize a plan to ensure staff receives cultural competency training
- Have a dialogue with the hospital board and leadership team on how the organization reflects the community it serves and what actions can be taken to address gaps if the leadership does not reflect the community
Given that Maryland is currently the 7th most diverse state in the nation, the hospitals of the Johns Hopkins Health System are proud to be part of this important initiative. We are grateful to Dr. Rick Bennett, president and CEO of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Dr. Lisa Cooper, vice president for Health Care Equity, and Peter Pronovost, senior vice president for Patient Safety and Quality, for championing this effort on behalf of our health system.
Press Release - Equity of Care
-Sherita Golden, Executive Vice Chair
