Penn State Health strengthens bias protections for physicians, staff, learners

Medical staff professionalism does not require care providers to accept discrimination.

That is the message from Penn State Health to faculty, staff and learners as it implements a systemwide patient bias prevention policy, PSH ADM 120. The goal is to provide employees protection from patients’ intolerant actions and directives based on background, race or religion.

“Physicians, nurses and other patient care team members at the health system say they have faced bias or discrimination from patients and their families and, while patient care comes first, unacceptable behavior based on aspects of difference will not be tolerated,” said Lynette Chappell-Williams, vice president and chief diversity officer, Penn State Health.

The new policy follows on the heels of another protection Penn State Health put in place for employees, students and patients in November 2020: “Complaints of Unlawful Discrimination or Harassment.” That policy enacts zero tolerance for bias or discrimination from any employee who willfully engages in conduct motivated by hostility or hatred toward a person because of any aspect of their diversity. The consequence is immediate termination of employment.

Communicating the new systemwide patient bias prevention policy to employees and providing education on how to address patient bias/discrimination are goals of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for early 2021, Chappell-Williams said.

She said her office has worked with leaders and representatives from throughout the health system to create a patient bias prevention policy that follows the ethics of patient care which the health care system and College of Medicine deem paramount to their mission. It also spells out procedures for working with patients to provide reasonable accommodations and at the same time create safe, trusting workplaces and learning environments for staff and learners.

Chappell-Williams also wants to make sure everyone has the tools they need to be united, support one another and get help when faced with discrimination and bias. One way is through upstanding, when someone questions a comment in a positive way, allowing the person who said it to consider its impact on others.

“Our goal is to make sure physicians, nurses, faculty, staff and learners know we are here for them and will not tolerate aggressions or biases from patients, their families or their visitors,” she said. “The aim is really mutual respect and understanding between medical staff and patients.”

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