Group receives $1.5M grant to increase number of blacks on medical boards

Black Directors Health Equity Agenda (BDHEA), a nonprofit health care organization that brings together board members, senior executives, and educators to address health care inequities that affect Black people, has received a $1.5 million grant from Kaiser Permanente to proceed its work.

According to a press release, the grant will likely be used to support the BDHEA Board Diversification and Integration Project, which goals to create diverse boards of hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

The press release also stated that the organization’s goal of eliminating health inequities in Black communities will likely be significantly achieved over the three-year grant funding period. This, in collaboration with their alliances with Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and US World News Report, puts BDHEA ready to push their model forward.

According to BDHEA Executive Director Deborah Phillips, “Representation matters and ensuring diverse voices are heard on boards across the healthcare sector is key. Our work goes beyond representation and invites diverse perspectives and ideas to identify key solutions to equity in healthcare.”

Dr. Ronald L. Copeland, senior vp and chief equity, inclusion and variety officer at Kaiser Permanente, echoed Phillips’ comments.

“To achieve health equity, we must commit to working together to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality care,” said Dr. Copeland. “Through BDHEA’s efforts, we hope to strengthen and empower community health centers and nonprofit hospitals to reduce, if not eliminate, all avoidable and unjust health care disparities, with trustees who are steadfast advocates for their communities.”

According to a March 2024 study by Ernst & White Healthcare inequalities proceed to be a priority despite efforts to create equity in healthcare that delivers value to each patients and industry organizations. The study found that more work is required to achieve the goals of increased equity in healthcare. According to , Black people make up about 12% of board memberswhich is close to 14% of the black representation within the American population. Their reports also indicate that it’s skewed toward black men, who make up 66% of black board members, while black women make up 34%.

According to the report’s summary, “While there is evidence of progress, black representation on health boards has not reached the critical mass needed to trigger a ‘domino effect’ of diversity that will ultimately create significant value for the communities these organizations serve.”

The grant represents a possibility for BDHEA to create a path to equity in health care and medicine, said Caretha Coleman, chair of the BDHEA board.

“Our responsibilities as health care board members go beyond oversight; they are a commitment to the heart of care,” Coleman said. “This grant empowers our health equity shepherds to lead the way to equity, ensuring that those facing the most challenging conditions and barriers find high-quality, equitable care.”