HealthPartners establishes Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Cabinet

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — HealthPartners announced today the formation of the Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Cabinet to focus on advancing health equity and eliminating racism. The 21-member cabinet includes HealthPartners leaders and is co-chaired by HealthPartners President and CEO Andrea Walsh, and physicians Steven Jackson, MD, and Yeng Yang, MD. The cabinet concentrates on four areas: increasing diversity and inclusion in the workplace; advancing health equity in care and coverage; partnering with the community and advocating for change; and strengthening its commitment to St. Paul as the largest private employer in the city.

HealthPartners aims to achieve the following goals by 2025:

• Increase the racial diversity of the HealthPartners leadership team by 100 percent – from 10 percent today to 20 percent to match its patient and member population
• Build an anti-racist culture and deepen its collective understanding of cultural humility – starting with a requirement that all team members complete bias training in 2021
• Eliminate disparities in maternal and infant care – prenatal, perinatal and early childhood care have a critical impact on the future of mother and child
• Eliminate disparities in childhood immunizations – redouble efforts to reach families and children to prevent illness and disease
• Accelerate and expand efforts to eliminate disparities in chronic conditions and preventive screenings, including type 2 diabetes and vascular disease; preventive care including breast and colorectal cancer screening, and others; as well as a focus in specialty and hospital care

“Achieving health equity requires not only addressing unequal health outcomes, but also recognizing its relationship to systemic racism and racial bias,” Walsh said. “With our dedication to the health and well-being of every person, we have the responsibility and opportunity to help build a stronger organization and community where racism and inequity have no place.”

For years, HealthPartners has championed health equity, including engaging with communities to address social determinants of health – such as education, housing and income gaps. The Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Cabinet will accelerate these efforts among others. To learn more, visit the Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism information page on healthpartners.com.