Dr. Jeff Balser, President and CEO, provides a special message urging support for members of VUMC’s LGBTQ community. In this message, Dr. Balser stresses the importance of caring for each other as we care for others. “This is a time we all need to go the extra mile to assure a safe environment for our LGBTQ patients and employees.”
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Hi Everyone,
Today I’m here to talk about our highest calling – making health care personal. Our mission statement states clearly that VUMC personalizes the patient experience through our caring spirit and distinctive capabilities. The words “caring spirit” are called out, because we believe personalized care requires more than technical expertise – it includes what patients see in our eyes and hear in our words.
Consistently demonstrating our caring spirit for millions of patients across over 200 locations isn’t easy. It’s something each one of us has to be intentional about as we come to work each day. Patients are very perceptive, and as they observe us working together they look for clues that tell them about our culture. So it’s no surprise that our patients feel “cared for” when they see us treating each other with dignity and respect.
I've spoken many times about the importance of caring for one another as we care for others. Perhaps more than anything else, our care for one another carried us through the darkest days of the pandemic. Yet in recent months, there have been escalating events in our country, our state, and our local community that make many people working and receiving care at VUMC feel afraid and vulnerable.
Today I’m focusing on members of our LGBTQ community. According to a recent study, LGBTQ people are 9 times more likely to be victims of hate crimes. We’ve seen a disturbing increase in those crimes, accompanied by a rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric… much of it on social media. While all of us are aware of these conditions, they create particular anxiety for our patients and coworkers who are members of LGBTQ community.
As a health care leader, VUMC needs to be clear about who we are, and what we believe. We must always be a place that not only welcomes, but intentionally fosters, a sense of belonging among persons from the widest variety of backgrounds, traditions and experiences. This broad diversity of perspectives energizes our vitality and creativity, and improves our science, our training, and our care of patients.
Individuals who identify as LGBTQ are a substantial and growing percentage of our patients, exceeding 7% - put another way, that’s one out of every 14 patients coming to our clinics or admitted to our hospitals. These patients experience frightening disparities in health outcomes ranging from premature death from chronic diseases, to increased rates of depression and suicide. So - just as we seek to include all races and ethnicities, we’ve created policies that intentionally include LGBTQ patients and employees – in fact, VUMC is a designated LGBTQ+ health care leader by the Human Rights Campaign.
Now, here’s my ask. The LGBTQ community at VUMC is hurting. This is a time we all need to go the extra mile to assure a safe environment for our LGBTQ patients and employees. We’ve spoken many times about “speaking up” when we see or hear things that cause a concern. So please, do speak up when you observe slights or insults, intentional or unintentional, that could make people feel they don't belong here. It is important that we all call out these biases and aggressions.
Sadly, other groups at VUMC face similar challenges, including people of color, and other ethnic and religious groups. And those identifying with these minority groups are also victims of hate fueled rhetoric, harassment, and violence. If you need help coping, please reach out to the Work/Life connections employee assistance program. And if you are experiencing violence or harassment at work, please reach out to the Human Resources employee relations team.
Thanks. We’ll talk again.