DEI Committee Member Reflections
This month we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, established to recognize the impact that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on the world. LGBT groups celebrate this special time with pride parades, picnics, parties, memorials for those lost to hate crimes and HIV/AIDS, and other group gatherings. The Pandemic has caused many people to return home to families that may not be supportive of them. The pandemic hit full swing a couple months prior to Pride in 2020 and many LGBT college students were left with the decision to move back home with unsupportive families and have had to quarantine with those families over the last year. This Pride month is probably going to be the first opportunity many young LGBTQA+ people will have to be in a supportive environment. While we celebrate Pride, we should be wary of those around us who are fighting a silent struggle for their own identity and pay careful attention to those who may be suffering in silence.
Many young LGBTQA+ youth would rather be homeless than in an environment that is toxic to them. YOF provides the basic and urgent needs for them and get them connected to age-appropriate services. Safe Homes (http://safehomesma.org) is a program ran by LGBTQA+ youth and supported by adult volunteers who offer support and resources in central MA.
The biggest hurdle for young LGBTQA+ people is when they need these urgent services, they are not ‘plugged in’ enough to find them or they don’t have the support networks. My personal experience is the biggest hurdles are compounded by a lack, or dissolution, of a healthy support network. Pride is more than the colorful parades and the great music, it’s about the community being loud enough that those who are suffering in silence can still hear us. Those that may be cut off from any support network are in the biggest danger and the community has not been able to reach them all. As healthcare professionals, everyone should be aware of and knowledgeable of the many resources that can help these vulnerable people.
At the VA, we have set up two guest speakers to address staff members on how to work with nonbinary patients and supporting the transgender community. These are two subsections of the LGBTQA+ community that are often overshadowed by others in the community:
- Eli Benevides – Being Nonbinary in a Binary System – June 9, 2021 @ 12:00
- Landon Callahan – Supporting the Transgender Community: Best Policies and Practices – June 23, 2021 @ 12:00
Learn more about the programs here!
-Written by:
Daniel Abeyta, MHA
Health System Specialist – Medical Service
VA Boston Healthcare System
ACHE of Massachusetts embraces diversity within the healthcare management field and recognizes that priority as both an ethical and business imperative. ACHE of Massachusetts values diversity and initiatives that promote diversity because they can improve the quality of the organization’s workforce. ACHE of Massachusetts also values and actively promotes diversity in its leaders and members because diverse participation can serve as a catalyst for improved decision making, increased productivity, and a competitive advantage.
Further, ACHE of Massachusetts works to foster an inclusive environment that recognizes the contributions and supports the advancement of all, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, religion, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability because an inclusive environment accurately represents the populations we serve, can enhance the quality of healthcare, improve hospital/community relations, and positively affect the health status of society. This priority is reflected in the chapters various activities and initiatives.
ACHE of Massachusetts is committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion through the following activities:
Within the Chapter organization:
- The Chapter Nominating Committee is charged with assuring that the chapter board of directors is broadly representative of the chapter membership and with maintaining a diverse and inclusive chapter leadership.
Within the healthcare management field:
- Strive to conduct at least one chapter educational event per year involving the topic of diversity and inclusion
- Feature the topic of diversity and inclusion each year in Chapter communications, either a Chapter Newsletter or other e-mail communication
- Develop a relationship within minority healthcare associations locally.
- Develop and maintain a caucus organization within the chapter in collaboration with the Asian Healthcare Leaders Association and/or the National Forum of Latino Healthcare Executives.
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee will highlight healthcare organizations who are striving to make a difference impacting the community while embracing their commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.
Forbes Names America’s Best Employers For Diversity
14 Hospital/Health Systems in Top 100
Congratulations!
Tufts Health Plan #10
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts #17
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee
Scott Ariel
Chief Executive Officer
Armenian Women’s Welfare Association
Frantz Berthaud – Co-Chair
Administrative Director, Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dee Dee Chen
Director of Professional Staff Compensation and Benefits
Massachusetts General Hospital
Rachel Gilbreath
Hill-Rom
Vice President
Enterprise Accounts
Soraya Kanakis
Graduate Student
Harvard University Extension School & MCPHS
Kerri-Lynne Kellam, MPH
Ambulatory Care Operations Director-Group Practice Manager
Department of Veteran Affairs
Carmen C. Kenrich – Chair
AMN Leadership Solutions
Merritt Hawkins
DVP, Strategic Partnerships
Client Experience Executive
Linda Leung
Karen Moore, RN, FACHE
Senior Vice President of Operations & Chief Nursing Officer
Lawrence General Hospital
Paul Myoung, MHA, CLSSBB, FACHE
Senior Administrative Director
Massachusetts General Hospital
Yemisi Oloruntola-Coates, MA, MAMC
Chief Inclusion & Equity Officer
GBH
Barbara Schmidt
Director of Organizational Culture and Engagement
Southcoast Health
Alex Schwarzer, MBA, MPH
Division Manager
Children’s Hospital Boston
Deidre D. Smith, MHSA
Federal Revenue Policy Analyst
Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Basel Tarab, MD, MHA
Senior Manager for International Strategy Initiatives, Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Adjunct Faculty, Boston College
Virgilio Velez, BSN, RN
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Officer
Lawrence General Hospital
Carla Villacorta, MHA
Consultant & Project Manager
Archipelago Strategies Group
LGBT Leaders
Daniel Abeyta, MHA
VA of Boston
Health System Specialist
Department of Medicine
Joseph Castellana, Ph.D.
2021 Cultural Holidays
August
August 1: Lammas, a festival to mark the annual wheat harvest within some English-speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
August 1: Lughnasadh, a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season.
August 1: Fast in Honor of Holy Mother of Jesus, beginning of the 14-day period of preparation for Orthodox Christians leading up to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.
August 6: Transfiguration of the Lord (Feast of the Transfiguration), celebrated by various Christian denominations, the feast day is dedicated to the transfiguration of Jesus.
August 10: Hijri New Year, the day that marks the beginning of the new Islamic calendar year.
August 13: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. The aim is to raise awareness about the wider-than-average pay gap between Black women and White men. Black women are paid 62 cents for every dollar paid to white men.
August 15: Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary, according to the beliefs of the Catholic Church, Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, as well as parts of Anglicanism, the day commemorates the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven at the end of her earthly life.
August 15: Dormition of the Theotokos, a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches that commemorates the “falling asleep,” or death, of Mary the Theotokos (“Mother of God”) and her bodily resurrection before ascending into heaven.
August 17: Marcus Garvey Day, which celebrates the birthday of the Jamaican politician and activist who is revered by Rastafarians. Garvey is credited with starting the Back to Africa movement, which encouraged those of African descent to return to the land of their ancestors during and after slavery in North America.
August 18-19 (sundown to sundown): Ashura, an Islamic holiday commemorating the day Noah left the ark and the day Allah saved Moses from the Egyptians.
August 22: Obon (Ullambana), a Buddhist festival and Japanese custom for honoring the spirits of ancestors.
August 22: Raksha Bandhan, a Hindu holiday commemorating the loving kinship between a brother and sister. “Raksha” means “protection” in Hindi and symbolizes the longing a sister has to be protected by her brother. During the celebration, a sister ties a string around her brother’s (or brother-figure’s) wrist and asks him to protect her. The brother usually gives the sister a gift and agrees to protect her for life.
August 22: Hungry Ghost Festival, a Chinese holiday where street, market, and temple ceremonies take place to honor dead ancestors and appease other spirits.
August 23: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition and the anniversary of the uprising in Santo Domingo (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic) that initiated the abolition of slavery in the Caribbean.
August 26: Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates the August 26, 1920, certification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that gave women the right to vote. Congresswoman Bella Abzug first introduced a proclamation for Women’s Equality Day in 1971. Since that time, every president has published a proclamation recognizing August 26 as Women’s Equality Day.
August 29-30: Krishna Janmashtami, a Hindu celebration of Lord Vishnu’s most powerful human incarnations, Krishna, the god of love and compassion. Celebrations include praying and fasting.
September
Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 to October 15. This month corresponds with Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 16, and recognizes the revolution in 1810 that ended Spanish dictatorship.
Hispanic Heritage Month
September 4-11: Paryushana Parva, a Jain festival lasting about eight to ten days that is observed through meditation and fasting. Its main focus is spiritual upliftment, pursuit of salvation and a deeper understanding of the religion.
September 6: Labor Day in the United States. Labor Day honors the contribution that laborers have made to the country and is observed on the first Monday of September.
September 6-8 (sundown to sundown): Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year celebration, marking the creation of the world.
September 10: Ganesh Chaturthi, a Hindu holiday lasting around 10 days, where the elephant-headed Hindu God is praised and given offerings.
September 11: Beheading of St. John the Baptist, a holy day observed by various Christian churches that follow liturgical traditions. The day commemorates the martyrdom by the beheading of St. John the Baptist on the orders of Herod Antipas through the vengeful request of his stepdaughter, Salome, and her mother.
September 11: Ethiopian New Year. Rastafarians celebrate the New Year on this date and believe that Ethiopia is their spiritual home.
September 15-16 (sundown to sundown): Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, a day of atonement marked by fasting and ceremonial repentance.
September 18: International Equal Pay Day, celebrated for the first time in September 2020, represents the longstanding efforts towards the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value. It further builds on the United Nations’ commitment to human rights and against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination against women and girls.
September 20-27: Sukkot, a seven-day Jewish festival giving thanks for the fall harvest.
September 22: Ostara Mabon, a celebration of the vernal equinox commemorated by Pagans and Wiccans.
September 24: Native American Day, a Federal holiday observed annually on the fourth Friday in September in the state of California and Nevada and on the second Monday in October in South Dakota and Oklahoma, United States.
September 27: Elevation of the Life Giving Cross (Holy Cross), a day that commemorates the cross used in the Crucifixion of Jesus in some Christian denominations.
September 27: Meskel, religious holiday in the Ethiopian Orthodox and Eritrean Orthodox churches that commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by the Roman Empress, Helena, in the fourth century.
September 27-29 (sundown to sundown): Shemini Atzeret, a Jewish holiday also known as The Eighth (Day) of Assembly, takes place the day after the Sukkot festival, where gratitude for the fall harvest is deeply internalized.
September 28: Teacher’s Day in Taiwan. This day is used to honor teachers’ contributions to their students and to society in general. People often express their gratitude to their teachers by paying them a visit or sending them a card. This date was chosen to commemorate the birth of Confucius, the model master educator in ancient China.
September 28-29 (sundown to sundown): Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday, marks the end of the weekly readings of the Torah. The holy book is read from chapter one of Genesis to Deuteronomy 34 and then back to chapter one again, in acknowledgement of the words of the Torah being a circle, a never-ending cycle.
September 29: Michaelmas, or the Feast of Michael and All Angels, is a minor Christian festival dedicated to Archangel Michael that is observed in some Western liturgical calendars.