A Bright IDEA
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access at UF Health Jacksonville through the years.
Our work in diversity, inclusion, equity and access is not new. In fact, UF Health Jacksonville has been well known since its inception in 1870 for responding to the health care needs of everyone in the community.
Throughout those 150 years, we have excelled in trailblazing clinical services, such as emergency care, trauma and heart surgery. We have maintained a commitment to education that started more than 125 years ago with the opening of the George A. Brewster Hospital and School of Nurse Training and the development of the first medical school in Northeast Florida, the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville, in the 1960s. And we continue to build a strong infrastructure for groundbreaking research.
Our roots with diversity go back many years. When the George A. Brewster Hospital and School of Nurse Training opened, it was the only institution in the area treating and training African Americans during that time.
All these accomplishments were made as we worked toward our ultimate goal of providing patients the best medical care possible and educating the next generation of physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals. We pride ourselves on serving the underserved population every day with respect and dignity.
The University of Florida’s focus on inclusion, diversity and equity became more apparent with the appointment of its first chief diversity officer, Antonio Farias, in July 2018. Subsequently, Leon L. Haley Jr., MD, MHSA, CEO of UF Health Jacksonville and dean of the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville, established two new leadership positions in 2019 to formally lead inclusion, diversity and equity strategies and initiatives.
Ann-Marie Knight was hired as vice president of Community Engagement and chief diversity officer for UF Health Jacksonville. Madeline Joseph, MD, was appointed associate dean for inclusion and equity for the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville. Together, they are working to build upon the UF Health Diversity Council’s accomplishments since it began more than 10 years ago.
Knight and Joseph are quickly building programming that ensures coordinated efforts are focused on matters of inclusion, such as policies, procedures, trends assessment, staff engagement and training, to name a few.
In this issue of Open Lines, you’ll learn about the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access, or IDEA, roadmap, which provides direction for the work ahead. With this in hand, the Diversity Council and IDEA Advisory Council, with support from IDEA champions, will develop initiatives that ensure unification across the enterprise — UF Health Jacksonville, the UF College of Medicine and UF Jacksonville Physicians Inc. — truly a One UF approach.
UF Health Jacksonville continues to work toward creating a space that is diverse and inclusive.
“Inclusive diversity” is a term coined to intertwine the importance of understanding and respecting differences while making intentional efforts to create an all-inclusive environment, regardless of any demographic differences. Supporting one another, learning from each other and sharing knowledge regarding all dimensions of diversity, whether it be age, disability, ethnicity, gender, race, religion and/or sexual orientation, is our priority.
Our work has become even more critical in the midst of the hardship our country and institution are facing related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial and social injustice crisis primarily impacting the Black community. These challenging times demand that we listen, learn and act in a way that promotes cultural humility in all of our interactions.
Continue reading to learn more about the enterprise’s diversity and inclusion strategies as well as how you play a vital role in helping us become the region’s most valued health care asset and a place where everyone who walks through our doors feels supported, included and appreciated.
