Franciscan Health launches healthcare equity effort
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – Franciscan Health Michigan City is launching a community-focused effort to promote equity in healthcare. The hospital, which services northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan, says it has a responsibility to help strengthen the communities it serves.
The Catholic healthcare organization says it will implement new education and training among its workforce and is creating a new community health outreach coordinator position focused on health disparities.
“We are committed to developing a culture of love, compassion, respect and safety through an awareness of and attention to the diversity of the people with whom we interact,” said Franciscan Health Michigan City President Dean Mazzoni. “This culture will be reflected in our organization’s attitudes, structure, policies and services.”
Franciscan Health says it is also partnering with the Michigan City Area Schools. The partnership will provide free thermometers to students enrolled in the free and subsidized lunches, develop a health careers training program, and provide 500 backpacks at the Black Expo Back to School Rally
“We know that this effort to promote equity and parity in healthcare will be a long-term commitment, but we believe that making it a priority will make a tremendous difference in not only the health, but the overall quality of life here,” said Mazzoni.