The Commonwealth Fund, a foundation that promotes better, more accessible health care, is showcasing Rush University Medical Center’s efforts to address racism and to support our staff and West Side neighbors.
An article published by the fund — “Confronting Racism in Health Care” — highlights how the Medical Center responded when it learned many employees living on the West Side were in financial distress and their jobs weren’t improving their situation: Rush raised entry-level pay, added wealth-building opportunities and created career pathways to help unskilled employees move to skilled positions.
Before, “people came in poor and left poor 30 years later,” David Ansell, MD, MPH, senior vice president for community health equity, says in the article.
Rush also formed a West Side employee resource group to learn about staff members' experiences working at Rush and to hear what supports they wanted from the health system.
The article features patient navigator Redia Holman, a member of the resources group, who praises Rush’s response to employees and its outreach in the community.
The New York-based foundation supports independent research on health care issues and makes grants to improve health care practice and policy.
