In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, RUSH University System for Health was one of 40 Chicago-area health care institutions to sign an open letter declaring racism a public health crisis — and pledging to take steps to eliminate institutional racism in health care.
Systemic racism's long history and broad scope mean that a collaborative effort is the only way to dismantle it.
Your hospital is invited to participate in a national pilot devoted to taking effective action and documenting progress.
Identify your opportunities and make an action plan
In partnership with University of Chicago Medicine, the Civic Consulting Alliance and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA), RUSH helped develop a racial health equity scorecard for health care institutions.
This long-term accountability tool, the Racial Equity in Healthcare Progress Report, documents progress toward achieving racial health equity across health care organizations.
Designed to encourage collective improvement rather than competition, the progress report lets you create a baseline self-assessment for your hospital in four areas:
- Our People
- Our Patients
- Our Organization
- Our Community
The information rolls up to an annual progress report that highlights your accomplishments and helps you identify areas for improvement.
Hospitals all over the country are taking part
In 2021, the Illinois Hospital Association launched the progress report to providers across the state. More than 140 Illinois hospitals have completed self-assessments so far.
Thanks to a 2022 grant from the Commonwealth Fund, RUSH University Medical Center is helping test and validate the progress report on a national scale. Co-investigators are David Ansell, MD, MPH, the Medical Center's senior vice president for community health equity, and Brenda Battle, RN, BSN, MBA, senior vice president for community health transformation at UChicago Medicine.
Join the national pilot
Your institution can join the national pilot by completing the progress report. If you complete it, your team will receive:
- A report that details and analyzes your organization's score, including benchmark comparisons with peer organizations across the country
- An implementation playbook to help you translate your data into action
Forty hospitals that complete the progress report will be selected to engage in a six-week learning collaborative in the fourth quarter of 2023.* This national cohort of health care organizations will work together to translate their individual progress report data into action. If your organization is chosen to participate, you'll be equipped with a clear action plan at the end of six weeks.
To learn more, please complete this form. One of our team members will follow up with you.