NHC’s IDEA Committee: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism
During this time when many are committing and recommitting to social justice efforts, we can also witness widespread reinvigorated initiatives to harness inclusive workplaces. It’s especially exciting to learn about the strides taken within our own network.
One example comes from Neighborhood Health Centers (NHC). In late 2020, NHC created the IDEA Committee; IDEA stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism. The IDEA Committee’s primary goal is to create a safe place for NHC staff to discuss IDEA issues and concerns.
The committee consists of volunteer staff representatives from each clinic and various roles throughout the organization. The group houses three subcommittees: Human Resources, Training, and Culture.
Despite the turbulence of 2020-2021, they have already managed to accomplish some wonderful work! For example, the training team has put together a curriculum, to be disseminated to the entire staff, called “The Importance of Pronouns.” Additionally, the HR subcommittee has proposed a new structure for NHC’s bilingual pay differential; and the culture team is hosting quarterly events to celebrate diversity and distributed rainbow-colored NHC t-shirts to all staff during PRIDE month!
Congratulations to NHC for their progress, innovation, and efforts! We at CareOregon hope you’ve inspired other partners to consider ways to help employees feel recognized and connected to each other, throughout their organizations, and throughout our network.
