Diversity and inclusiveness in healthcare care
UMC Utrecht strives to be a home where patients feel recognized and acknowledged. Factors like gender, cultural or social background, personality, ideology, work capacity or age may not stand in the way. In 2022 we deployed a variety of activities to further increase diversity and inclusiveness in our care.
When someone comes to the doctor
In June, a three-week exhibition called ‘Komt een mens bij de dokter’ (‘When someone comes to the doctor’) could be seen at UMC Utrecht. The exhibition told stories of people who due to shame, lack of knowledge and wrong assumptions did not always receive the care that they needed. Our aim was to bring barriers that stand in people’s way, out into the open. On June 21 we closed the exhibition with an interactive panel discussion in which colleagues, patients, and the Rutgers knowledge center took part. Thanks also to an active audience, many topics related to inclusive care and the barriers associated with it, came up. Messages regarding hierarchy and social insecurity that came to the fore have helped us to work on our diversity and inclusiveness policy
Symposium on Colorful care, our care
On October 4, 2022 - Diversity Day - we organized a symposium in cooperation with Pharos, the Anne Frank Foundation, Vilans and CODING, to make staff members more aware of diversity and inclusiveness and their role when it comes to providing inclusive care. A number of speakers talked about topics like diversity, inclusiveness, discrimination and racism. During workshops and inspiration sessions, employees themselves could also discuss topics like: (experiencing) discrimination in care in the scope of practical situations, the impact of discrimination on health and how it affects the patient, developing perspectives on diversity and discrimination, and intercultural communication when providing healthcare.
Diversity & inclusiveness theme month
For the whole of October at Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital there was a special focus on diversity and inclusiveness to raise even more awareness on the topic. And to give staff guidance on how to find answers to questions such as: when do people feel at home with us, what type of communication can every colleague and patient recognize and understand, and do we give sufficient attention to the biological and social aspects of diversity? The program was varied and included lectures, workshops, and a questionnaire for patients. In a number of our restaurants a world kitchen was also set up, so that patients and staff could enjoy tasty dishes from various countries throughout the month.
