Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a top priority at Actium Health. One year ago, we formed our DEI team. It is a core of employees who lead the effort to establish a safe and supportive environment for all our employees. An environment where our employees can be their authentic selves, know they are valued, and contribute fully to our mission and vision. While we have made progress, our work is far from done.
In past years we have changed our logo to display the Pride Flag. We did this to show our support for the LGBTQIA+ community. It was an easy decision. As we embarked on our process, we reflected on the meaning and the purpose of what this month means for the community.
- What does it mean for us to update our logo?
- What actions would someone in the LGBTQIA+ community expect of a company that changes its logo? Are we living up to those expectations?
- How can we ensure that our support for the LGBTQIA+ community is a year-round effort and not just a month-long endeavor during June?
During our internal discussions, we found that we did not always agree on the right course of action. But, we did recognize that we all had good intentions, a bias to action, and a shared commitment to be better.
Intimate and passionate discussions were had. Emotional experiences and perspectives were shared. The support was overwhelming and the consensus is that we can and should do more than just update our logo for the month of June. We wanted our actions to have meaning. It’s about infusing our support to the LGBTQIA+ cause into our corporate DNA and culture. And, it’s about supporting the cause – through awareness, education, and advancement of the cause both internally and externally.
Effective immediately, we will be launching the following perpetual initiatives here at Actium Health for Pride month:
- As part of our platform, we will work with our existing and future clients towards identifying and developing next best actions for LGBTQIA+ patients for our AI models and standardize data structure based around CDC and Health & Human Services (HHS) standards for Sexual Orientation & Gender Identification (SOGI).
- We will provide a platform for LGBTQIA+ community speakers to drive awareness and education on the challenges they face in our healthcare system as part of our thought leadership webinar series. Please be on the lookout for these upcoming webinars on our LinkedIn page.
- Internally, we are also committed to advancing the awareness of how LGBTQIA+ individuals have been marginalized, oppressed, and discriminated against, resulting in inequities such as healthcare disparities. We will provide platforms and educational opportunities for our employees to learn and share.
- We are committed to providing an open and safe environment for all employees at Actium Health where we respect everyone’s personal choices, lifestyles, and preferences.
We share this because while the update of our logo may be temporary, our initiatives are NOT temporary. We want to make a public commitment and be held accountable for doing what we believe is the right thing. It’s not going to be an overnight process, but we are committed to moving forward and in the right direction for our LGBTQIA+ family.
-Actium Health DEI Team
