OR Manager November/December 2021 - 6

Human resources
Diversity
Continued from page 1
OR staff or surgical techs. I'm talking
about everybody: from those in the sterile
processing department to our OR
aides who help us turn over the rooms. "
Events related to racial injustice and
the COVID-19 pandemic have helped
spur changes in hiring practices and
workforce development, but ongoing
efforts are needed to create a culture
that fosters DEI.
What is diversity?
" Diversity comes
in
many forms, " says
Daphny Peneza, MSN,
RN, CNOR, CSSM, education
resource specialist
III at Memorial Hermann
Hospital, Texas
Medical Center, Houston.
" Apart from the cultural
component, one of
the diversities we are
to workforce diversity being scored currently,
but in July 2021, it released a
Quick Safety Alert called " Understanding
the needs of diverse populations in
your community. " The alert includes a
section on supporting the local workforce
by hiring them into entry-level positions,
fostering advancement and professional
development opportunities.
The alert also calls on leaders to make
equity a " strategic priority, " which includes
leveraging policies and practices
that embrace anti-racism.
Daphny
Peneza, MSN,
RN, CNOR,
CSSM
facing now is that we have added another
generation, Generation Z, to the
workforce. "
In the context of a workforce related
series, diversity refers to the many differences
among those working in an organization,
including race, age, gender,
(dis)ability, religion, language, socioeconomic
status, and culture. Equity refers
to fairness (such as impartial policies),
and inclusion refers to ensuring people
feel they are welcome in the workplace.
Making the case
Reasons for cultivating a diverse workforce
generally fall into three categories-business,
regulatory, and moral.
The business case focuses on diversity
as a profit driver (sidebar, " The
business case for diversity " ). The regulatory
case includes consideration of
standards and perspectives from various
bodies. The Joint Commission does
not have standards directly related
6
OR Manager | Nov/Dec 2021
Although a surveyor cannot cite an
organization for not following a Quick
Safety Alert, John Rosing, MHA, FACHE,
executive vice president and principal
for Patton Healthcare Consulting and
a regulatory expert, says these publications
provide useful advice for hospitals.
" They're based on reports The
Joint Commission has received on topics
or trends that could pose a patient
safety risk or concern, " he says. Rosing
adds that leaders should keep in mind
that " patients with a concern related
to a diversity, inclusion, or equity issue
could file a complaint, and that would
require a written response and possibly
result in a 'for-cause' visit. "
In addition, several existing standards
overlay with addressing the
needs of diverse populations, and
organizations could be cited if they are
found to be noncompliant with practices
such as ensuring that care is free
from discrimination, identifying and addressing
communication needs, collecting
preferred language data, collecting
race and ethnicity data, and allowing
patients access to a support individual.
For example, patient-centered communication
standards require hospitals to
provide language services using qualified
interpreters and translators to
patients who are not proficient in English.
" Those rights apply to people of all
races and sexual orientation, " says Ana
Pujols McKee, MD, executive vice president
and chief medical officer, chief
diversity, equity, and inclusion officer of
The Joint Commission.
Even without specific
workforce diversity
standards, " surveyors
may have a conversation
with the leadership
team about the diversity
of the leadership team,
especially when they
see they are dealing with under-represented
minorities, " Dr Pujols McKee
says. She adds that The Joint Commission
is reviewing current standards
and anticipates there will be changes
to address disparities in healthcare
organizations. " One of the strategies to
decrease disparities is to establish a
diverse workforce that understands the
community it serves, " she says.
In making a moral case for diversity,
Sarah Kaplan, PhD, director of the Institute
for Gender and the Economy
(GATE) at the University of Toronto's
Rotman School of Management, suggests
leaders stop focusing on diversity
as a business strategy and start
embracing it " because it is the right
thing to do, " as she wrote in an article
for Fast Company. Kaplan also noted
that the business case breaks down
amid false promises when in reality it
can actually increase bias, hurting the
people it is designed to help. She called
on leaders to take " principled action "
and " transform work practices to make
people of all kinds feel like they can do
their best work. "
Ana Pujols
McKee, MD
In healthcare, perhaps
the strongest
moral case relates to
patient care and safety,
which depends on individuals
and teams.
" There is no truer team
than in perioperative, "
says Nakeisha Archer,
DNP, MBA, RN, NE-BC,
CNOR, CSSM, director
of perioperative services
Nakeisha
Archer, DNP,
MBA, RN,
NE-BC, CNOR,
CSSM
at Pavilion for Women, Texas Children's
Hospital in Houston. " No surgery can
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OR Manager November/December 2021

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