Massini, Black: Grateful to those who have taken a stand

Penn State Health CEO Steve Massini and College of Medicine Interim Dean Kevin Black emailed employees on Monday about Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

Dear Colleagues,

Today we honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man who dedicated his life and livelihood to advancing civil rights and social justice through non-violent protests. Despite our nation’s progress since his death in 1968, the events of the past year have shown we still have work to do to achieve unity, equality and equity within our nation – and within our organization.

We remain grateful to the many individuals who have taken a stand against racial and social injustice. Because of you, Penn State Health and the College of Medicine also have made progress, and we look forward to continuing together in this journey.

You may have seen that the pastoral care departments across Penn State Health will host a virtual, 30-minute service at noon today featuring a video about the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as a reading of his “I Have a Dream” speech by employees from across our organization.

Additionally, this week is Inclusion Week within Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine.  Our Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has planned a series of webinars on topics at the forefront of social justice and inclusion, and that affect our patients, workforce, learners and community. A webinar at 4:30 pm today, led by the Rev. Dr. Franklin Hairston-Allen, president of the Greater Harrisburg NAACP, will focus on health disparities and how they impact underserved and underrepresented populations. You can read more here or click on a webinar title below to register.

Monday:

• MLK’s Foundation for Health Equity

Tuesday:

• Latinx/Hispanic Cultural Contributions to Life in PA
• Implications of the Flint Water Crisis on Health Care for Diverse Children
• Dispelling the Myth of Project 1619

Wednesday:

• Creating Teams with Multiple Generations
• The Impact of Disasters on Vulnerable Populations
• Understanding Where Our Patients Come From

Thursday:

• Sharing Perspectives: Physicians and Storytelling
• Poverty as an Aspect of Diversity

Friday:

• Inspiring Inclusion: Where Do We Go From Here?

Pastoral Care’s service, and all of the Inclusion Week webinars, will be recorded for later viewing. The links will be published in the Daily Brief.

Rev. King once said, ““Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

Thank you for what you are doing to advance justice and equity in health care, in our society and within our own organization.

Sincerely,

Steve Massini                                    Kevin Black, MD
CEO                                                     Interim Dean