We denounce racism of all forms. It is a social determinant of health that is damaging to our community, patients, faculty, staff and trainees. Acknowledging this is a foundation for structural and systemic change toward equity in health and well-being. Yet this is only the first step. The next step is action–improving our education, engagement, funding, policies and practices to accelerate this journey.
To demonstrate this, we must elevate our commitment to our existing organizational value of inclusiveness to create a diverse and just organization. We must look introspectively at our policies, procedures and culture and take action to provide a safe, open, supportive environment for all faculty, staff and patients. Everyone at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center will know that change does not happen without all of us.
As an academic medical center, we must equip our trainees, the future of health care, with the necessary tools and curriculum to recognize and address all social determinants of health and their devastating impact on health. We must also provide current faculty and staff with similar training and tools to ensure that all clinicians, during all points of treatment, provide equitable care to all patients.
As a public land-grant university and medical center embedded in our community, it is imperative that we empower our faculty and staff to partner with others in our community to address social determinants of health: racism, poverty, housing, transportation, education, jobs and nutrition. Through collaboration, we will achieve better results and be able to do more together. We must also leverage our hiring, purchasing and place-based investing in activities to support our communities that suffer the greatest health and economic disparities.
This is a defining moment. Only when we address the real issues of racism are we able to develop sustainable solutions to transform the health of our communities, and support our trainees, staff and faculty while doing so.
The annual health equity and anti-racism report provides a snapshot of what our teams have achieved through partnering with our community this year, provides updates on programs that reflect Ohio State’s legacy of caring for its neighbors and highlights areas in which we hope to improve and have a sustainable impact.
Researchers at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center are partnering to create a culture of health in the Black community with programs designed to improve risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Building a more equitable future for health care begins with today’s medical students at the Ohio State College of Medicine, where targeted work is addressing racism and inequity in medical school curriculum and practice.
Racism is a social determinant of health, and this fact drives the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s anti-racism plan and efforts to change outcomes for our patients and communities.
The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is implementing targeted community programs to improve health by addressing food insecurity, digital connectivity and healthy programming.
Here’s how the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is reduce infant mortality and overdose deaths in our community while increasing rates of vaccination in communities made vulnerable.
When COVID-19 vaccines weren’t making it to the most vulnerable communities, the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center mobilized resources to remove barriers to vaccination.
The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is working to bring health care access and equity of care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer+ community.
Employees at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center now have access to unique training that builds an understanding of diversity, health inequity and disparities to create a more inclusive workplace culture.
Ohio State signaled strong support of diversity initiatives by appointing faculty to serve as diversity vice chairs in each of health system’s 28 medical units.
Activating a full array of home-based and virtual health options helps patients overcome transportation, child care and work-related barriers to care.
Climate change is becoming a public health crisis. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is addressing climate change and our carbon footprint to improve the health of our communities and our world.
Ohio State’s Healthy Community Day seeks to make an immediate impact on a community’s health by bringing screenings and medical care directly to residents.
We will elevate the cause, making anti-racism efforts our very foundation.
We will engage our faculty, staff, students, patients and communities with opportunities to learn and participate in anti-racism efforts.We will equip our team members with tools, resources and channels to report issues, suggest ideas and move us forward.
We will empower our faculty, staff, students and patients to address racism and to understand that change does not happen without all of us.
We will evaluate and review our efforts regularly.
Institutional Initiatives:
Institutional Initiatives:
Individual Initiatives:
Institutional Initiatives:
Individual Initiatives:
Institutional Initiatives:
Individual Initiatives: