Sane Dube is Ontario Health's Director of Health Equity and Transformation. Her work supports communities in defining their own health priorities.
Creating health equity isn’t the work of a few people, but rather, a duty shared by everyone in healthcare, says Sane Dube, Director of Health Equity and Transformation at Ontario Health.
“It’s really important for us to work in a way that doesn’t make equity the responsibility of only the people who have that in their (job) title. We all need to be doing it,” Dube said during a panel discussion at the Transforming Care: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) and Health Equity Knowledge Exchange conference in St. Catharines on Thursday.
“For health service providers, whatever work you are doing, you’re considering equity. If you’re looking at long-term care beds, how do you factor equity considerations into that? If you’re looking at diabetes, how are you thinking about equity considerations in that? I will die on that hill. Equity is everyone’s work.”
Hosted by the Niagara Health Knowledge Institute, the conference brought together leaders from Niagara, Hamilton and beyond to share strategies for integrating DEI and health equity into healthcare operations. Along with a panel discussion and keynote speakers Dube and Fatima Sheikh, a health equity specialist at Hamilton Health Sciences, the day featured breakout sessions designed to equip participants with tools to drive meaningful change.
Joining Dube in the panel discussion were Sheikh and Karen Paschert, Clinical Manager for the Niagara Falls Hospital Emergency Department and DEI change agent at Niagara Health. The conversation was moderated by Harpreet Bassi, Niagara Health’s Executive Vice-President (EVP) of Strategy and Communications, Executive Lead, Research and Niagara Health Knowledge Institute, and Interim EVP of Capital Planning and Redevelopment. Together, they explored drivers of change in panelists’ own organizations, challenges and actionable steps in advancing health equity.
Leadership and allyship
Paschert, who served as first committee chair for Niagara Health’s Black History Month recognition in 2021, noted Niagara Health has made great strides in DEI and health equity in the past five years. She credited motivated leaders and a culture of allyship for helping to inspire action, including writing DEI into Niagara Health’s most recent strategic plan.
Creating space where staff feel seen and heard, and can have tough conversations that inspire growth is also essential, Paschert said. She strives to do that in her role because it ultimately leads to better patient care.
“That’s what this work is really about,” she said. “People want to be seen, people want to be heard, people want to be valued. And if we can encourage that and improve it on the frontlines, it encourages better outcomes for our patients and staff.”
Representation at all levels of an organization is also critical, Paschert added. It ensures everyone’s opinions are heard “and the lens through which they experience things is seen.”
“People want to be seen, people want to be heard, people want to be valued. And if we can encourage that and improve it on the frontlines, it encourages better outcomes for our patients and staff.”
“You should never underestimate the importance of allyship,” she said. “Allyship is crucial to this work and I’m pleased to work within an organization that I feel really exemplifies allyship. That’s why we’ve been able to get this work into our strategic plan and we’re really moving forward.”
Patience and progress
Sheikh emphasized systemic change takes time. Healthcare teams need to learn the rationale behind the work, build relationships with other organizations and communities, and be flexible when creating health systems where people can “show up in all the ways they are and receive good care.”
“We’re thinking about the health systems that we want to interact with in five, 10, 15, 20 years, and we’re starting to do that work now. One of the pitfalls is (thinking), ‘If I do X, then tomorrow, I’ll see Y,’ and that’s rarely the case,” Sheikh said. “But it’s being OK with that. It’s building that flexibility within our strategic plan so we can think about success differently and acknowledge the time that’s required to do this work well.”
With more than 190 participants from across Ontario, the conference brought together healthcare professionals and community leaders for a day of insightful learning and collaboration.
