Things We Feel We Have Already Accomplished In The Last Three Years

• The Just Medicine Team started as a workgroup for members to coalesce around DEI in 2019, initiated by a member’s interest in making CFHA a more welcoming space for all (conversation and implementation of JMT began prior to George Floyd's murder and the racial reckoning in the US)
• In 2021, JMT was elevated to a committee, making it one of only two standing committees in the organization (along with the Research and Evaluation Committee)
• Formally, JMC operates to serve as a mechanism to ensure that CFHA lives out its stated values around DEI and the co-chairs are invited to BOD meetings as ex officio members.
• JMC heavily influenced the theme and content of the last two annual conferences (2020 and 2021), both with equity and justice themes, including recommendations for speakers in this last cycle to adopt an inclusive lens in their presentation approach; 
  • Both CFHA Members and Leaders engaged in conference presentations around justice and equity
• JMC also has helped spur numerous webinars and Community Conversations around DEI since its inception.  
  • List of Community Conversations, Community Meetings, and Webinar Topics (Since February 2020)

    

• SIGs have focused their efforts on issues of social justice and equity through webinars and meeting topics: 
  • PCBH: The PCBH SIG has embedded DEI, specifically addressing health inequities and caring for marginalized communities through policy and practice in primary care.
  • MUS: For Medically Unexplained Symptoms the key diagnostic approach is assessing for sources of stress. In recent years this has included making audiences at presentations aware of the numerous ways that people who are not members of privileged groups can be treated in dehumanizing ways.
  • FHSIG: Webinars on workforce development through DEI and antiracism lens and inclusive, family-centered integrated care delivery and the following conference sessions in 2021: 
    •  Family support and self-management behaviors in underserved Latinx patients with diabetes
    • Family-centered primary care as an opportunity to promote equitable health care among older adults with cognitive impairment
    • Shattering the box: Women embracing a systemic lens as they lead the charge in healthcare
• The Governance Committee of the BODs made a priority to diversify its ranks and made changes to voting processes to facilitate this over the last two years
  • Governance proposed new processes for BOD election, including adding DEI statements to candidate applications
• The BODs are currently working on responding to a JMC set of recommendations and initiated an in-person meeting to make decisions this May
• CFHA staff is also proud of being intentional around representation in our ranks. As we have grown in the last few years we have intentionally hired with a DEI lens. At present we have a staff of 6 with 1 AA, two Latinos, and three white (one male, 5 women). Also, because we understand the intersectionality of climate issues and justice-equity issues, we are encouraging members to offset their conference travel carbon emissions this year as we return to in-person conferences. All CFHA staff will be doing so.
• BOD President intentional about including issues of social justice, diversity, and intersectionality in columns. 

Things We Feel Are Undone, Ongoing, or Unanswered

• Do we need or would we benefit from hiring an external consultant to assist us in maintaining or directing a DEI focus?
• How do we operationalize our values of DEI and social justice as a non-profit membership organization? 
  • Need to define a set of objectives and outcomes 
    • What is realistic for an organization of our nature and size?
  • How can the BOD align financial resources to support these objectives/outcomes and support membership to work towards equity in their work?
• How does the work we are doing in DEI influence/shape our work in policy (little p and big P)?
  • How can we embolden membership to move the dial in their spheres of influence related to DEI (in whatever environment and role the membership is working in)?
• Need to leverage appointed BOD processes in order to identify gaps and take action to diversify the BOD (beyond racial/ethnic and gender diversity)
• How can we leverage focus on Early Career Professionals to socialize future integrated health workforce on issues of social justice and DEI?
• How can we engage and connect with frontline providers to provide support and mitigate burnout given socioeconomic inequities within the workforce?
  • Is there information from the forthcoming workforce survey that tells us where resource allocation is needed to support members?