Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1526508
INTRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL GOVERNANCE ABOUT US HEALTH EQUITY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM Providence is working to close health equity gaps in communities that have been marginalized by historic and contemporary systemic bias by elevating clinical quality and innovation. Our new Health Equity Fellowship Program, launched in 2023, is one way we're achieving that. The inaugural fellowship cohort of 20 caregivers received intensive health equity training before implementing a wide range of projects. Their projects, designed to address inequities affecting racial and ethnic communities within their service areas, made measurable and meaningful differences in their first six months. Serious-Illness Conversations Melissa Forbin Program manager, Institute for Human Caring Providence Fellow Melissa Forbin partnered with two Southern California ministries to refine workflows to ensure that ICU patients with limited English proficiency had goals-of-care conversations with their care teams. SOCIAL IMPACT: doubled completion of goals-of care conversations among these patients, which reduced the disparity by more than half Courageous Conversations Shannon Telliano Executive director, Quality Providence Fellow Shannon Telliano led efforts to implement a Courageous Conversation scorecard to help physicians address rising C-section rates among first-time parents at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Southern California. SOCIAL IMPACT: 11% reduction in C-section rates for Black first- time parents Trauma Support Program Yesenia Cruz Lead clinical care coordinator Providence Fellow Yesi Cruz directed the launch of a new trauma support program for Latinx patients of Kadlec Medical Group in Washington. SOCIAL IMPACT: 30% increase in depression screenings for the patient population and a 75% reduction in inequity Culturally Informed Approach to Pain Daisy Aceves, Ph.D. Psychologist Providence Fellow Daisy Aceves spearheaded a project to mitigate disparities in chronic pain treatment in Puget Sound's Latinx and Black communities, introducing educational interventions and a BIPOC pain management group in primary care. SOCIAL IMPACT: increased use of pain management services by 5% among Black patients at Providence Swedish, and improved anxiety and physical functioning in Black and Latinx patients by 3% and 5% PROVIDENCE | ESG REPORT | 22 HEALTH EQUITY FELLOWSHIPS: FOUR EXAMPLES