Building an anti-racist organization
Racism and prejudices against Indigenous, Black and People of Colour continue to be heavily present in the health care system, leading to profound harm. All patients and clients have the right to access health services, free of racism and discrimination.
We recognize the need for meaningful, systemic change and are committed to sustainable improvements that focus on human rights and health equity. In 2022, we initiated an Anti-Racism program to build on our work of integrating Indigenous cultural safety and promoting greater equity, diversity and inclusion in our delivering of care.
The program aims to:
- Acknowledge, address and condemn racism and create an environment where patients, clients and residents receive safe, quality health care that is free of racism and discrimination.
- Create an environment where staff and medical staff feel confident in speaking up against racism and addressing discrimination as it happens, knowing that they are fully supported by leaders.
Building our Anti-Racism program began with conducting engagement sessions with our staff and medical staff to understand lived experiences, discuss barriers to safety and receive input on possible actions towards becoming an anti-racist organization.
The next phase of engagement will focus on external outreach with our patients, clients and community partners.
Input collected from engagement activities will inform a comprehensive VCH Anti-Racism Action Plan to facilitate our journey of becoming an anti-racist organization. Our intention is to understand how racism is witnessed and experienced, how racism impacts service delivery and access to health care, and how we can improve safety and confidence in reporting and accountability. We look forward to sharing our improvements as a result of our actions over the next several years.