Parkland Memorial Hospital Adopts Staff Diversity Plan

A dozen years ago, employees of Parkland Memorial Hospital were paid an extra 25 cents an hour if they could greet Hispanic patients and give them simple directions in Spanish.

It was 2002, and an influx of Spanish-speaking patients was challenging Dallas County’s public hospital to become bilingual almost overnight.

The Dallas Morning News (http://bit.ly/1DKr3Tg ) reports some staffers were fluent, but untested, in Spanish; others were willing to learn. DOCTORS were using “medical Spanish,” which meant they relied on a pocket-sized Spanish phrasebook of anatomical terms when translators were unavailable.

Such crude attempts are no longer part of Parkland’s strategy to become a more culturally sensitive institution.

Ildemaro Gonzalez, Parkland’s new chief of inclusion and diversity, said the hospital is striving to offer “culturally competent care.” That means the staff not only must understand the culture of the patient, including language and background, but also must modify the way they provide care as needed.

In adopting the hospital’s first diversity plan in January, the board of managers pledged to improve how minority patients are treated at Parkland. That includes a promise to fill Parkland’s JOBS with more diverse leadership.

“After more than 100 years, it’s about time Parkland had a diversity plan,” said Patricia Rodriguez Gorman, one of three minority members on the hospital’s seven-member board of managers. “We treat very humble patients, and we have to keep a better eye on who we’re serving.”

Dr. Fred Cerise, Parkland’s chief executive officer, said he hopes to improve upon the current mix of top managers. Of the hospital’s 57 vice presidents, 26 percent are minorities. Only 5 percent are Hispanic.

Cerise said he wants “a diverse leadership team that can relate to the realities of our diverse patients.” The plan, however, does not specify any goals for how many VPs should be minority members.

The hospital’s diversity policy calls for seeking more minority candidates when there are management openings. Such a process should identify a “pipeline” of talented people, who would be ready to apply when the time comes.