Encouraging Uniqueness through Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
When you visit the Open Door health center in Downtown Muncie, it’s likely you will be welcomed by John Maynard. John joined Open Door in 2015 as a part of the patient access team. In his role, he greets patients and guests, helps them find their way to the right floor and department, and makes sure the lobby stays clean and inviting.
While many people regularly interact with John, most don’t know his story. John has used a wheelchair most of his life because of cerebral palsy (CP), a permanent movement and posture disorder that he developed as an infant. CP affects how he interacts with the world and how the world interacts with him, but it’s never slowed him down. This March, John decided to share more about his story with Open Door staff as part of Multi-cultural Mondays, a new internal email campaign from Open Door’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Council.
Multi-cultural Mondays increase awareness and celebrate the wide range of identities and backgrounds in our community and world, explained Shauna Winter, human resources administrator and JEDI Council facilitator. Every first and third Monday morning, Open Door employees receive an email with educational resources, notable dates, employee perspectives, and community events connected to diversity-related topics. JEDI Council members collect information and write content for each email.
The JEDI Council started in 2020 with representatives from all departments and staff levels. Today, its membership includes providers, medical assistants, practice managers, outreach workers, and Open Door leadership. The group meets monthly to discuss ideas and resources that keep equity, diversity, and inclusion top of mind across the organization.
“One of Open Door's core values is ‘encourage uniqueness.’ In living out that value, we want to make sure all patients and team members feel welcomed, valued, and respected," said Suzanne Clem, vice president of community engagement and leadership sponsor of the JEDI Council. "The JEDI Council creates space for all voices and perspectives to be heard, and Council members have committed to helping shape our organizational culture around JEDI principles. This directly impacts our ability to provide excellent care and to retain team members who are looking for a workplace committed to doing the right thing.”
Since its beginnings in 2020, the JEDI Council has accomplished the following:
Completed training on topics such as microaggression, implicit bias, the ABCs of LGBTQ+, and the history of Hispanic individuals and immigration in the U.S.;
Standardized the use of pronouns in email signatures and provided pronoun pins for staff badges;
Supported the addition of “Encourage Uniqueness” to Open Door’s value statements;
Met with community leaders to learn more about racial equity in our community;
Included diversity, equity, and inclusion questions in staff engagement surveys; and
Helped revamp paid-time-off and dress code policies to be more inclusive.
Last year, the JEDI Council partnered with student researchers from Ball State University to gauge employees’ perceptions of inclusion at Open Door. Overwhelmingly, employees asked for more information and exposure to identities and backgrounds different from their own. Multi-cultural Monday emails were created in response. “We were delighted that so many of our staff members wanted to learn and grow in this area,” said Shauna. “We’ve received really positive feedback about the content so far.” The Council has invited employees to submit topics and events for future emails.
Multi-cultural Mondays also opened a door for employees to share their own experiences and learn from one another. John, who is himself a JEDI Council member, knew that his personal story would have greater impact than facts or statistics alone.
“I have a disability and there’s no hiding it. It’s a part of who I am, but I don’t let it define me,” said John. “I wanted to share my story to make people aware that when it comes to disabilities, everyone’s journey is different, and everyone deserves to be heard.”
Looking forward, the JEDI Council hopes to expand membership and offer more training to Open Door employees. “We all have a role to play,” said Shauna. “We want to be an organization that not only says we value justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, but that actively pursues it and keeps each other accountable.”
JEDI Vision:
Open Door demands Justice, strives for Equity, embraces Diversity, and fosters Inclusion across all aspects of what we do by leading with authenticity and empathy and creating space for all voices and perspectives to be heard and valued without judgement.
JEDI Mission:
The JEDI Council will direct and facilitate Open Door's journey to becoming a more equitable and inclusive environment for ourselves, our coworkers, our patients and clients, and our communities. We will foster a culture that not only welcomes diversity but seeks to learn and educate about the experiences of others and advocate for the inclusion of all.