Aultman is an organization where commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging comes naturally. Guided by our mission to lead our community to improved health, we aim to deliver the very best healthcare in a safe, compassionate, culturally sensitive manner; to advance that care through innovative education and research; and to foster a diverse workforce that benefits both employees and patients by offering an inclusive place to provide and receive high quality healthcare.

Aultman will strive to:

• Inform, educate, perform, model and lead its workforce to achieve diversity throughout the organization so that all employees feel respected and valued.
• Create and sustain an environment that actively embraces diversity and recognizes the value and uniqueness of all individuals, so that Aultman may better meet the needs of its patients and customers.
• Hold all individuals associated with Aultman accountable for actions and decisions impacting the achievement of Aultman Health System’s Diversity Statement.
• Utilize the successes in diversity to assist Aultman with becoming the health care provider and the employer of choice as we Lead Our Community to Improved Health.

Education - A number of seminars, workshops and symposiums are held at Aultman each year, covering a wide variety of topics related to diversity and inclusion. Recent topics include cultural awareness, the LGBTQ+ community, integrating faith and culture in health and healthcare disparity.

Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Talent – Aultman is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to recruiting talented employees with valuable experience and expertise from different ethnicities, genders, religions, sexual orientations and other protected classes. We participate in local business expos and career fairs, partner with colleges and schools, and work with other recruiting sources to actively seek diverse applicants.

Aultman ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) –are voluntary, employee-led groups whose aim is to cultivate a diverse, inclusive workplace that aligns with the organization’s mission and values. ERGs are comprised of employees who share experiences, cultural backgrounds, religious affiliation, or characteristics such as gender, race, ethnicity or national origin. Group members attend monthly meetings where they share suggestions, tackle projects to improve organizational processes and empower each other to create solutions to specific challenges.

LSA (Language Services Associates) - To improve communication for the increasingly diverse population we serve, Aultman offers the LSA system. LSA provides video and audio translators for more than 240 languages and dialects including American Sign Language. Video remote interpreting devices can be brought into a patient’s room to connect to an interpreter in seconds. LSA’s video and audio services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Communication between LSA interpreters and Aultman is transmitted via a secure, HIPAA-compliant line to ensure patient privacy. All calls are documented, allowing Aultman to monitor call volume and track usage for regulatory compliance.

• Our policy of inclusion reaches far beyond race and ethnicity to include gender, age, physical and mental abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, educational background, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, veteran and military status, geographical location, income, marital status, parental status and work experiences.
• We cultivate an environment where exploration of these differences is safe, positive and nurturing, where every individual will have a sense of belonging.
• We realize that diversity is a reality, created by individuals and groups from a broad spectrum of demographic and philosophical differences. We believe it is extremely important to support and protect diversity by valuing individuals and groups, free from prejudice, and fostering a climate of equity and mutual respect.

• System-wide healthcare equity campaign, focused on raising awareness, improving cross cultural communication and integrating changes into system policies.
• Collecting more detailed information during patient care intakes (race, ethnic background and preferred language) to improve the quality of care we can provide for our diverse community. Using this information to ensure availability of language interpretation services, appropriate patient education materials and to track data to improve patient care quality.
• Developing effective and innovative approaches to providing quality healthcare to underrepresented racial and ethnic populations who are disproportionately affected by serious and chronic medical conditions.
• Continuous training opportunities for healthcare system leaders and colleagues in healthcare equity, culturally appropriate care, and diversity and inclusion topics including unconscious bias and cultural competence training.
• Increase awareness and participation in employee resource groups (ERGs) to create a welcoming space for colleagues to freely express concerns and ideas.
• A supplier diversity program recognized for fostering the growth of small, women-owned and minority-owned businesses in our community.
• Continues to provide effective language access services to ensure equal access to quality healthcare.