Health Equity Pledge

The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network has pledged to take action to eliminate health care disparities. The #123forEquity pledge is the vision of the American Hospital Association and the Institute for Diversity in Health Management. Providing culturally competent health care to all individuals is part of Diversity and Inclusion’s strategic plan; our organization’s fundamental mission; and simply the right thing to do for the communities we serve. We are proud to support the #123forEquity campaign because we believe in equitable care for all.

We are among 950 health care systems nationwide and one of only three in Wisconsin committed to addressing disparity by making the pledge.

By committing to this pledge, it means focusing on three areas within our organization. They include:

• Increasing diversity in leadership and governance – this means that our internal leadership and our boards of directors are reflective of the communities we serve
• Providing cultural competency training – Diversity and Inclusion working closely with Human Resources and Organizational Learning to train staff in providing culturally competent care to all
• Collecting and using race, ethnicity and language preference data to track progress – this means looking at our clinical metrics, processes and delivery of care to ensure that every patient receives the highest quality of care possible

The American Hospital Association and others have identified these steps as effective ways of overcoming disparities in care. By taking this pledge, our health network is committed to taking action to achieve equality for all.

Equity of Care: Why We Took This Pledge

First and foremost, providing equitable care to all is the right thing to do. Disparities in access and health care treatment really exist; it’s everyone’s collective responsibility to address these issues. Patient satisfaction and measuring the patient experience has been the catalyst for this change. It will require the collective efforts of health care organizations across the country to eliminate health disparity.

By taking this pledge, our health network is committed to taking action to achieve health care equality. Providing quarterly updates to the American Hospital Association allows us to track our progress and keep us focused on the goal.

Taking the pledge is only the beginning, taking action and fulfilling our promise is an ongoing commitment and part of a multi-year strategy.

Learn more about our efforts