Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging History

In 2014, Crouse formed the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, comprised of employees from multiple areas as way to bring attention to helping Crouse become a more diverse employer, to better serve both the organization and the community with three key goals in mind:

1. To educate the Crouse Health community about the importance and value of DEI&B.
2. Increase professional opportunities for Crouse Health employees, with an emphasis on DEI&B, and
3. To increase awareness of the Crouse brand in diverse communities.

Today, as a leading healthcare employer in Central New York, it is critical for Crouse Health to strategically focus on addressing employee retention and health disparities in our community. As a natural progression, we expanded our focus to include equity and belonging in October 2023.

At Crouse Health, we enhance our existing culture by creating an inclusive environment where:

• Practices, processes, policies, and programs create the ideal experience for patients, families, and employees.
• All are treated with fairness, respect, and dignity.
• All can contribute thoughts and ideas from their unique background and experiences.
• All have opportunities to grow and advance within the organization.

Crouse Health recognizes our employees are integral to our culture. Our goal is to maximize each employee’s authenticity, unique talents and potential. With strong support and participation from the Crouse Health Boards, leadership and management teams, and the DEI&B Advisory Board, we will continue to build a more diverse, inclusive productive, and happy workforce.

DEI&B in healthcare is important as it promotes better care for diverse populations, higher employee morale and retention, and better problem-solving, which leads to better results.

Each year, our organization completes The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Annual Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) and participates in CME-accredited LGBTQ training offered through the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center. Additionally, we offer annual DEI&B computer-based learning (CBL) and in-person educational sessions are provided to all Crouse team members.

To further enhance our commitment to a diverse and inclusive culture, Crouse signed on as a participant of the American Hospital Association’s ‘Pledge for Equity‘ initiative, which aims to address disparities in care delivery and increase diversity in hospital leadership and governance. Crouse is also a participating organization in the Healthcare Equality Index and the NYS Birth Equity Improvement Plan project.

Our DEI&B Mission Statement is: Crouse Health values diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging among its employees, patients, families and the communities we serve.

DEI&B Definitions

At Crouse Health, we define Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEI&B) as follows:

Diversity: Goes beyond race and gender and recognizes that individuals are unique across their human differences (considers all dimensions of diversity – race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, etc.) and lived experiences. Diversity embodies inclusiveness of experiences and values multiple perspectives.

Equity: A culture that is free from bias and favoritism. Our goal is to ensure that all have the opportunity to attain their full potential and that no one is disadvantaged due to socially-determined circumstances.

Inclusion: Create an environment where everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of their background or identity. We consider differences in ideas, thoughts, opinions, experiences, beliefs, and practices in discussions.

Belonging: We believe that our employees are most productive and passionate about the work they do when they can show up as their authentic selves. Creating a space where our workforce can show up as their authentic selves creates connectedness, respect and value for all.