MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center
MercyOne Central Iowa, part of the regional MercyOne health care network, operates four not-for-profit, Catholic medical centers in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Newton and Centerville and two specialty hospitals – MercyOne Children’s Hospital in Des Moines and MercyOne Rehabilitation Hospital in Clive – along with more than 20 additional facilities. With more than 7,000 colleagues and a medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians and allied health professionals, MercyOne Central Iowa is one of Iowa’s largest employers. In an effort to provide thoughtful DEI training and education, MercyOne implements learning initiatives to every level of its workforce.
Training and Education
All new MercyOne colleagues receive an introduction to implicit bias and cultural humility during orientation. Topics include awareness of health disparities, cultural diversity and communication resources for non-English speaking patients. Currently managers and above are required to take a two and half hour course, Racism: A Public Health Crisis. In addition, all colleagues must complete the course, Cultural Proficiency, which is updated annually.
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Trinity Health, MercyOne’s parent company, presents monthly training called Advancing Together. Topics include the difference between differential treatment and disparate impact, colorism, religion and faith traditions, LBGTQ health awareness, and the wounds of gun violence. In addition to the training, MercyOne held a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) summit for the past two years for all Iowa colleagues to reinforce the DEI mission at every level of the organization. They also host the Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium which features topics related to health justice.
