Health Equity & Belonging
First, we must understand what health equity and belonging mean to have a similar understanding.
- Health Equity is the opportunity for all individuals to achieve their highest level of health by reducing and eliminating health disparities. Health disparities are preventable differences in disease, injury, violence or opportunities to achieve optimal health. They impact how frequently a disease affects a group, how many people get sick or how often the disease causes death.
- Belonging is welcoming, supporting, respecting and valuing all people. This means creating an environment where everyone feels they have a place and can contribute to their fullest potential
Belonging and health equity are interconnected, with health equity being the goal, where everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed and have access to healthcare.
Initiatives
We work to create an environment of belonging at Summa Health through a multi-faceted approach that includes internal support, accountability measures and external impact initiatives.
Summa's Three Focus Areas
Part of the intentional work of community relations and workplace belonging led Summa to identify three focus areas:
- Education
- Advocacy
- Health