by Hayley Feland
Hennepin Healthcare has employees participate in a yearlong “journey” so they can reflect upon alleged racial disparities within healthcare.
“Training is for one year with monthly mandatory assignments, videos, meetings, and discussions that, whether by design or by chance, remind you that you are inherently racist,” a whistleblower who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation told Alpha News.
The program is Hennepin Healthcare’s Compass Program, which the company hopes all 7,000 employees will complete by 2025.
“The Compass Program is a yearlong journey where Hennepin Healthcare team members receive the chance to reflect, learn, and connect with other employees, focusing on racial inequities in healthcare systems,” a website for the program states.
Hennepin Healthcare’s website says that as of July 2023, 50% of its employees have begun the program. “Through the Compass Program, Hennepin Healthcare team members will have the unique opportunity to learn more about the history of racism in the US, how different racial groups have faced racism in the US (including Black/African Americans, Latinx/Hispanic Americans, American Indian Alaskan Natives, as well as Asian American Pacific Islanders), and how systemic racism contributes to health disparities,” the website says.
The anonymous source told Alpha News that the training is mandatory for all employees of Hennepin Healthcare.
“This training combines instructor-led sessions, activities, and discussions aimed to equip participants with the skills to effectively navigate systemic forms of racism and interpersonal microaggressions,” a video overview of Compass explains. “Both of which are major contributors to health inequities.”
One employee said in a testimonial that the program has helped her understand her “implicit biases and why disparities persist today.”
“Having the support and motivation through this program to sit in discomfort, unpack my biases, and come to a complete understanding of history has been incredible,” said another.
Chief Health Equity Officer Nneka Sederstrom said in the company’s first annual “Health Equity Report” released earlier this year that Hennepin Healthcare is committed to becoming an “an anti-racist organization.”
“We cannot rely on education and a top-down approach to eradicate the biases that result in poorer health equity for our Black and Brown communities. We must target the day-to-day interactions that continue to perpetuate bias, stereotyping, and overt racism,” she said.
The report outlined several initiatives the company has launched to promote equity, including “an employee badge hang tag that displays personal pronouns.”
“Creating a more inclusive environment where team members can be who they are and share their pronouns demonstrates an institutional commitment to fostering a sense of belonging at Hennepin Healthcare,” the report says.
The company has also created what it calls the “endracism email” initiative, which is a reporting system that allows employees to “report perceived racism or microaggression experiences in the workplace.” The reporting line was opened after employees expressed a desire to report incidents that may “not meet criteria for a formal investigation” or “traditional criteria for workplace violence.”
Hennepin Healthcare told Alpha News that the Compass Program is helping staff work to meet the needs of all patients. “While Minnesota consistently ranks as one of the healthiest states in the nation, when sorted by race, ethnicity, language and country of origin, some of Minnesota’s health outcomes rank among the nation’s worst,” Hennepin Healthcare said.
“Our Compass training program, recently recognized with a Minnesota Hospital Association Workforce Innovation Award, is part of this essential work and we stand by its content. Our comprehensive efforts to address health disparities have earned us provisional accreditation for Health Equity from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.”
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Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
Photo “Hennepin Healthcare” by SusanLesch. CC BY 4.0.
