HealthWorks for Northern Virginia
Statement of Commitment
This statement reflects the commitment made by HealthWorks for Northern Virginia to cultivate, support, and preserve an organizational environment that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We recognize that to achieve its organizational vision, mission, and strategic goals, it must embed the values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in all aspects of its work. Together, HealthWorks’ Board, leadership, staff, volunteers, and community are diverse and, as such, we must reflect and respect that diversity. HealthWorks believes the organization and the community benefit when diverse perspectives are represented, respected, and included among the discourse and decision-making process. A diverse staff that reflects inclusivity is vitally important in allowing us to engage with the communities we serve in a meaningful and authentic way.
Our human capital is our most valuable asset. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent that our employees, volunteers and Board of Directors invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and organization’s achievements as well.
We embrace and encourage differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make us unique. All members of the Board of Directors, employees and volunteers have a responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect and exhibit behavior that reflects inclusion at all times.
HealthWorks will:
- Promote diversity in all appointments to the Board of Directors and in employment and volunteer activities. Our diversity initiatives are applicable—but not limited—to our practices and policies on recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, professional development and training, promotions, transfers, social and recreational programs, layoffs, terminations, and the ongoing development of a work environment built on the premise of transparent communication, respect, tolerance, and inclusivity.
- Actively engage in initiating, promoting, and championing inclusive strategies to retain diversity in race, ethnicity, color, sex, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, veteran status, and disability status.
- Ensure equitable access to growth and leadership development, educational and training opportunities, succession planning, mentoring opportunities and other resources.
- Create a welcoming, supportive, safe, affirming, and respectful environment that stresses respectful communication and cooperation, teamwork, and participation, encouraging the representation of all perspectives.
- Explore potential underlying, unquestioned assumptions that interfere with inclusiveness.
- Advocate for and support board-level thinking about how systemic inequities impact our organization’s work, and how best to address them in a way that is consistent with our mission.
- Participate in continuous learning, development, and training.
- Accept that mistakes will be made, acknowledged, learned from and improved upon, as much of this journey requires learning through iterations of growth and failure.
- Engage and support respectful dialogue and courageous conversations about racism, privilege, white fragility, dominant culture, oppression, and historical trauma.
- Identify and address microaggressions as they occur within HealthWorks, whether intentional or unintentional, and use these as opportunities to educate, learn, grow, listen, and respond with respect.
- Offer support and encouragement by honoring everyone’s truth through the affirmation and validation of their values, beliefs, principles and lived experiences.
- Identify and support external mission-related activities and goals to address disparities experienced by marginalized groups.
HW Board of Directors, March 2022