Bergen New Bridge Joins Partnership to Create Workforce Equity Toolkit

On Jun 20, 2024

Paramus-based Bergen New Bridge Medical Center has partnered with America’s Essential Hospitals and nine other health systems to create, “Building Workforce Equity at Essential Hospitals: A Toolkit for Creating and Maintaining a Resilient, Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Workforce.” The toolkit was created with support from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and was developed with input from an expert panel, thought partners, and leaders from 10 hospitals including Bergen New Bridge.

“Bergen New Bridge has been dedicated to improving equity and addressing disparities not only for our patients but for our workforce,” said Deborah Visconi, president & CEO, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center. “I am grateful to our team who have created a welcoming environment that safeguards equity, inclusion, dignity, and respect for all.”

The toolkit from the Essential Hospitals Institute shares concepts for mitigating the critical hospital labor workforce shortage while building workforce equity and resilience. It includes tools, tips, and resources for hospitals at all stages of their equity journey to work toward system-level change and health justice.

“We were one of the first hospitals in New Jersey and the country to earn The Joint Commission’s Advanced Health Care Equity Certification,” said Shari Gold, senior vice president for regulatory compliance & chief quality and equity officer, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center. “The process required us to look at not only a patient’s experience, but how we could improve equity in our workforce as well. This was a valuable process, and we were happy to share the knowledge we gained in the creation of this important toolkit.”

The toolkit spotlights essential hospitals’ efforts to plan for and build workforce equity through organizational change, align workforce equity with patient care, and measure progress toward equity goals.

The other participating health systems included:

• Baystate Health
• Eskenazi Health
• ECMC
• NYC Health + Hospitals
• Parkland Health
• The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
• UChicago Medicine
• University Health
• Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center

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