The Journey to Increase Staff Diversity

By Julie Collett, Kids in Need of Dentistry

Kids in Need of Dentistry (KIND) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1912 to provide high-quality, affordable dental care to children in need throughout Colorado. With two facilities in Denver and one in Colorado Springs, our staff of 15 works collaboratively to help thousands of children each year get the dental services they need at a cost their families can afford. As the Executive Director, I made a commitment to increase workforce diversity.

Our patients comprise approximately 62 percent Hispanic, 19 percent Caucasian, 5 percent African American, 3 percent Asian, 0.1 percent Native American and 10.9 percent other or mixed. Originally serving as a dental hygienist, I experienced the challenges of a primarily Caucasian staff working to serve an increasingly diverse patient population. When I was promoted to executive director, I understood the importance of increasing the staff’s diversity to reflect the racial and ethnic demographics of our patient population.

I first discussed my goals with the staff, then we identified the areas and programs that were most in need of bicultural and bilingual staff, such as the front desk, and began implementing strategies to recruit diverse staff members. Key strategies included:

• Building relationships with culture-based organizations (e.g., Asian Pacific Development Center), community leaders (e.g., the Mexican Consulate) and educational institutions (e.g., a dental assistant school in Colorado Springs)
• Explicitly stating that bicultural candidates were preferred for specific positions
• Sharing information about the organization’s patient demographics and cultural inclusivity efforts during the hiring process.

Existing staff were given opportunities to further their knowledge and understanding of diverse communities and develop their Spanish skills to limit any sense of cultural and linguistic isolation among newly hired bicultural and bilingual staff. We also adopted a cultural competency statement and shared it with patients. Although I have encountered obstacles along the way, I believe we as an organization have successfully led KIND in its efforts to increase workforce diversity.

Through The Trust’s Equality in Health initiative, KIND has increased its staff diversity so that each program has one or more bicultural and bilingual staff, and Caucasian employees have become the minority. We also have shifted our organizational culture to demonstrate our value for diversity and to increase staff retention. Discussing issues related to diversity and inclusivity has become a regular part of our monthly staff meetings. Staff share responsibility in furthering the organization’s cultural inclusivity efforts and have a collective understanding of how the organization’s diversity positively affects their patients’ experiences. Our emphasis on self-reflection and open dialogues have also complemented staff members’ work and facilitated the development of a safe and comfortable environment for staff and patients alike.

To read more stories like KIND’s and learn what you can do to increase your organization’s diversity, read The Colorado Trust’s new paper, Health Equity and Racial and Ethnic Workforce Diversity.