OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Fall Winter 2021

www.ohca.com FALL/WINTER 2021 The Oregon Caregiver 19 DEI T he impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have hit each person differently. For me, the safety of my family wasn’t just at risk from the COVID-19 virus, but from an even bigger safety concern—racism. During the pandemic, members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community—particularly the elderly in the community—were targeted with hate-fueled verbal and physical attacks across the country and the globe. A report from Stop AAPI Hate says hate incidents targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during the pandemic spiked from March 2020 through September 2021, with incidents jumping from 3,795 to 10,370. Hate incidents reported by women also make up nearly 62 percent of all hate incidents recorded up until September 2021, according to the report. As a daughter of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants, to me, these attacks feel personal. Not a day goes by that I don’t worry about my aging parents, aunts, and uncles becoming the next victims. On March 17, eight people, six of whom were women of Asian descent, were gunned down in Georgia. That day, I felt numb, disassociated, and distracted as the world around me seemed to move on without me. For most people, this was just another average day. For me and many others who look like me, it felt like an all-out assault on our community that wasn’t getting enough attention. These types of feelings can be isolating for those in minority groups who may be uncomfortable vocalizing them, especially in a work setting. Most of the time, our colleagues aren’t aware of the toll these events can have on marginalized communities, and they don’t know how to best help. This is just one example of how people of color and other marginalized groups may experience things differently and why it is especially important that all individuals within an organization learn about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and the role it plays in the workplace. It can also shape the way in which we approach conversations and understanding in our daily lives. You may not even realize that someone you know has experienced similar feelings. For long term care, which continues to deal with the health and operational effects of the global pandemic, it may seem difficult to find the bandwidth now to focus on DEI, to tackle one more challenge, and it is hard to know how to make a difference. But we must take on this work. Our workforce and our residents are diverse, and leading on DEI is a necessity to provide quality care and support workers. Organizations that embrace DEI can expect to see improvements in the relationships between staff, residents, and Putting in the Work: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Long Term Care By Catherine Van, Oregon Health Care Association families, attract and retain more commit- ted staff, and provide a caregiving experience that is welcoming and sup- portive of all Oregonians. I share my story with you now to illustrate the urgency in prioritizing DEI work in long term care. With the support of the OHCA board of directors, your OHCA team, myself included, is committed to leading Oregon’s long term care sector in efforts to build awareness around and strengthen DEI efforts. Achieving the goal of improved diversity, equity and inclusion in Oregon and the long term care sector, in particular, will not happen overnight. It will take a sustained commitment from OHCA and, more importantly, from our members and their staff. We look forward to collaborat- ing on this journey with each of you. If you see initiatives and content from OHCA that you appreciate, let us know. If you think we are missing opportunities to lead, please also let us know. If you have other recommendations, questions, or feedback, please reach out to me or another member of our team. We look forward to sharing in this journey with our members and stakehold- ers in the upcoming year and beyond. Catherine Van is the communications coordinator at OHCA. For long term care, which continues to deal with the health and operational effects of the global pandemic, it may seem difficult to find the bandwidth now to focus on DEI, to tackle one more challenge, and it is hard to know how to make a difference. But we must take on this work.