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EY and BDHEA are laying the groundwork for a healthcare landscape that truly reflects the diverse needs of the communities it serves.
In brief
- Diversity is not an option; it's imperative for better healthcare outcomes.
- The pro bono consulting EY team synthesized the current state of racial diversity of healthcare governance and provided leading practices for board recruitment and retention.
Three years ago, the Black Directors Health Equity Agenda (BDHEA) was established by a group of visionary Black healthcare directors and senior executives who recognized the urgency of bringing their collective voices to the forefront of the industry. It was created on the understanding that diverse boards are more likely to advocate for and to prioritize initiatives to reduce disparities and improve healthcare outcomes for marginalized communities.
“Our position is very simple. People were already addressing the supply side of diverse representation, so we started looking at the demand side,” says Deborah Phillips, Founding Member and Executive Director of BDHEA. “We focus on having organizations commit to having Black leaders on their boards.”
Fast forward to the present, and BDHEA is launching a groundbreaking initiative — the Board Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce. The driving force is a shared purpose between BDHEA and the EY Center for Health Equity.
“The fit with BDHEA was natural because EY has two dedicated practices that bring the functional and sector expertise needed: the EY Center for Health Equity and the Center for Board Matters,” says Perri Kasen, Senior Manager at EY. “Both Centers are focused less so on admiring a problem and more on inspiring change and catalyzing action.”
The collaborative effort was not just about planning; it required BDHEA and EY to roll up their sleeves and create an action-oriented roadmap for sustainable change. A landscape assessment confirmed the current state of racial and gender diversity in US healthcare governance bodies and revealed large gaps, despite explicit interest and stated commitments to increase board diversity. In 2022, Black members represented 10% of healthcare boards while 32% of provider boards were made up of all-white members.
“A cultural understanding is needed to ensure optimal outcomes,” says Perri. “One person of color doesn’t have all the answers. We need enough diverse perspectives to raise courageous questions in the boardroom.”
The EY team exceeded expectations. They did a great job identifying key resources and, equally as important, listening and collaborating on the points of interest.
The EY team was able to substantiate BDHEA’s work holistically and outlined even further how we need to work at a community level in addition to an enterprise level by prioritizing recruitment, empowerment, and retention of Black board members.
The EY team developed a "Case for Change" report, as a compelling call to action for external audiences. This report synthesized the current state of racial diversity of healthcare governance and provides leading practices for board recruitment and retention. It aims to inspire change by presenting a holistic view of the challenges faced at the community level, as well as the enterprise level.
“As a former consultant and as someone who’s worked with a lot of consulting firms, I have a very high regard for subject matter experts and program management,” says Deborah. “The EY team exceeded expectations. They did a great job identifying key resources and, equally as important, listening and collaborating on the points of interest.”
The call to action is clear: Diversity is not an option; it's imperative for better healthcare outcomes. Through strategic planning, actionable steps and a commitment to inclusion, EY and BDHEA are laying the groundwork for a healthcare landscape that truly reflects the diverse needs of the communities it serves.
“This isn’t simply a diversity initiative,” says Dr. Yele Aluko, Chief Medical Officer at EY, and Director of the EY Center for Health Equity. “It’s a call for healthcare boards to prioritize the inclusion of experienced Black executives, leveraging their unique insights about the industry and Black America, to unlock substantial financial and social capital for their organizations.”
“BDHEA is more than a group of people; it sets an agenda,” says Deborah. “We have made intentional choices about the organizations we have elected to work with. EY US and BDHEA believe solving health disparities makes business sense. But comprehensive solutions will compel organizations to groom effective health equity champions for their boards who can align resources and ensure that programs have maximum impact.”
Summary
EY US' pro bono consulting work with nonprofit organizations set each on a path to greater scale and wider impact. Rooted in our approach to skills-based volunteering and culture of citizenship, the project not only supported a local nonprofit’s growth ambition but also brought a new sense of meaning and purpose to our team. To learn more, reach out today.
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