Equity, inclusion and diversity
At the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, the diversity of our physicians and staff and their unique multicultural backgrounds help inform the care we provide to our patients and are an important part of our organizational culture. We proudly serve a diverse patient population across Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. We believe we have the responsibility of considering and respecting the cultural needs and values of our patients and our colleagues every day. 

We do this by investing in work that fosters equity, inclusion and diversity (EID) in our workplaces, care delivery to our patients and in the communities we serve. Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States maintains the National committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Multicultural Health Care Distinction award since 2017 – a designation that recognizes our commitment to EID. Our areas of focus include the following:

Workplace

 In partnership with our diverse, multicultural workforce, we strive to create an inclusive work environment with equitable opportunity for employment, growth, and advancement. We design programs that build and maintain a workplace where we engage with our patients, communities, and each other with dignity, respect, and cultural understanding. Examples include:
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  • Trainings and guides about working with interpreters, using language resources in the clinical space, racism, different cultural heritages and more
  • Monthly calendars recognizing and celebrating religious and cultural holidays
  • Community building initiatives on topics such as racial equity, LGBTQ+ perspectives, and heritage months
  • Open dialogue sessions on relevant topics, such as racism in medicinebook.

EID Ambassadors
We bring these resources, education, and trainings to our physicians through our Equity, Inclusion and Diversity (EID) Ambassadors. EID Ambassadors are physicians or staff members with a commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity. They educate colleagues on current events and promote opportunities for engagement. They also identify opportunities to deliver more equitable, inclusive patient care and workplace policies to foster change.

Business Resource Groups

 Business Resource Groups (BRGs) are groups of employees who gather on a volunteer basis to promote, enhance, and support the diversity of our workforce so that collectively we can be more culturally competent in the delivery of our services. The work of the BRGs results in improved satisfaction for our workforce, better health outcomes for our patients, extended benefit to our communities, and growth in our local markets. 

Care Delivery

 Every member of our team strives to provide culturally responsive and appropriate medical care to improve the health and well-being of all people in our diverse patient population. We offer robust translation services through phone, video, and in-person interpretations. With 40 languages available for video interpretation and over 150 languages available for phone interpretation, we prioritize creating a welcoming and compassionate environment where we provide the best medical care to every patient, no matter what language they speak.

Community

 As part of Kaiser Permanente, the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group seeks to create equity in our communities, eliminate health disparities, and at the heart of everything we do, we put patients first. We offer opportunities for volunteering with local community partners throughout the year.