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Business Employee Resource Groups develop plans to enhance engagement and inclusion

The six Business Employee Resource Groups (BERGs) at Penn State Health have each developed an annual plan to address the needs and inclusion of employees who are part of or support their group. The 2024 plans for each group include a mission statement, goals and a calendar of events.

The health system’s BERGs focus on disabilities, military and veterans, multicultural, interfaith, LGBTQ+ and next-generation. Their plans enhance opportunities for employees to connect with others who have similar cultures and backgrounds, while helping build a more inclusive environment throughout the health system.

Disability

Mission:

  • Bring awareness to the Penn State Health workforce on living and working with a disability
  • Advocate for inclusion and advanced equity for anyone who identifies as having a disability, either visible or invisible

2024 Goals:

  • Engage members of the Penn State Health workforce who identify as having a disability in a community that promotes their needs and success
  • Create management education that promotes both awareness and effectively navigating situations to support sustainable employment for employees who identify as having a disability
  • Establish a calendar of events to support advocacy, engagement, education and inclusion

Hosted events:

  • Hospital and Health System Week in May
  • Disability Pride Month in July
  • RecFest in September
  • National Disability Employee Awareness Month in October
  • Education sessions to support those who identify with a visible or invisible disability

Interfaith

Mission:

  • Create an understanding of different faiths, religions and spiritual beliefs to allow for increased respect
  • Promote an openness to everyone, regardless of faith, religion or spiritual beliefs and non-preferences
  • Support the ability to see oneness/unity across large health system

2024 Goals:

  • Increase representation through enhanced membership
  • Educate colleagues on diversity of faiths, religions and spiritual beliefs represented within health system
  • Create a repository of resources and information for colleagues

Hosted events:

  • Women’s History Month in March
  • 2024 Celebration of RITE Values: Interfaith Traditions and Practices I and II

LGBTQ+

Mission:

  • Provide education, information, support and advocacy services to our workplace and educational community
  • Work toward creating and maintaining a safe, inclusive and equitable environment for LGBTQ+ students, staff, faculty, postdoctoral scholars and fellows, residents, alumni and patients
  • Sustain visibility and sense of community throughout the health system
  • Build workplace equity, promoting student and staff leadership and providing high-quality, culturally sensitive care to patients

2024 Goals:

  • Aim to increase involvement from BERG members at events
  • Host events pertinent to impact workforce, including increasing understanding of pronoun usage and Gender Clinic services
  • Expand community networks to better support employees

Hosted events:

  • 2024 Keystone Conference
  • Pride Month in June
  • Central PA and Lancaster Pride Events in June and July
  • Education sessions
  • LGBTQ+ History Month in October
  • Coming Out Day in October
  • Transgender Day of Remembrance in November

Military | Veteran

Mission:

  • Recognize, support and advocate for the rights and needs of military and veteran employees and patients
  • Support workplace equity, promote staff development for employees and advance the delivery of high-quality and culturally sensitive care to the military and veteran population

2024 Goals:

  • Relaunch the BERG with clear and approved operating plan
  • Execute 2024 programs and events
  • Establish a baseline of attendance and increase participation for each event

Hosted events:

  • Memorial Day observance in May
  • Flags of Honor program
  • POW MIA tables
  • Veterans to Veterans program
  • Lung Cancer Preventive Screening
  • Veterans Day in November
  • Wreaths Across America in December

Multicultural

Mission:

  • Advance Penn State Health’s mission, vision and values by creating a respectful and supportive environment that acknowledges and celebrates the diverse cultural, ethnic and linguistic background of our patients, their families and our staff

2024 Goals:

  • Host events to raise awareness of multicultural diversity
  • Expand membership engagement at meetings and events, inclusive of all Penn State Health regions and sites
  • Identify diversity champions at each site

Hosted events:

  • Black History Month in February
  • Women’s History Month in March
  • Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May
  • Juneteenth
  • Hispanic Heritage Month in September-October
  • Native American Heritage Month in November

Next-Generation

Mission:

  • Empower the next generation of leaders within Penn State Health through enhancing connections and acts of universal dignity and respect

2024 Goals:

  • Establish networking opportunities for Generation Y and Z employees
  • Develop mentorship opportunities for Generation Y and Z employees
  • Increase BERG membership

Hosted events:

  • Quarterly events inclusive of networking, mentorship and engagement opportunities

About the BERGs at Penn State Health

The annual plans by the BERGs are part of the effort by the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to revamp the six BERGs so they better align with the health system’s organizational goals and diversity priorities.

As part of their respective plans, BERG leaders and health system administrators will meet on a regular basis to advance initiatives that increase workforce diversity and improve employee engagement. They will also provide recommendations to the health system’s diverse patient councils to improve the experience of our increasingly diverse patient populations.

Events hosted by the BERGS are included in the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s online calendar.

To join a BERG or learn more about diverse employee engagement, contact Jude McCrea or the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

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