Versiti Blood Center of Indiana

OUR PLEDGE TO THE COMMUNITY

As a diversity champion, we believe all people have the right to be respected, valued and appreciated. We are dedicated to use our resources to advance racial equity within the communities we serve and our healthcare systems. Versiti Blood Center of Indiana is committed to continuing education and increasing awareness of why diversity, equity and inclusion matters to our life saving mission with our workforce and community donors. We are engaging in open dialogue with our team members and communities to listen and learn so we can stand together, advocate stronger and sustainably impact healthcare equity.

PLEDGE 1

Versiti Blood Center of Indiana will address racial and health inequities to improve the health of our communities.

Focus Area: Health

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) disproportionally impacts communities of color. Versiti provides life-saving blood needed to treat SCD. We will actively seek out opportunities to bridge gaps for people fighting SCD. Increasing the percentage of diverse blood donors will help to ensure the blood needed to treat SCD is available to patients in need.

2022 PROGRESS

Increased self- identification of blood donor ethnicity through staff and donor educational opportunities.

Maintained rate of 90% or greater of self-identification of blood donor ethnicity.

Increased collection of diverse units needed to treat SCD from 7,184 units in 2021 to 8,499 units in 2022.

Supported local health initiative impacting underserved communities by sponsoring/participating in Black Expo Health Fair, including providing educational opportunities for the community.

2021 PROGRESS

To increase the collection of life-saving blood needed to treat SCD, Versiti Blood Center of Indiana has taken the following actions:

Increased collection of diverse units needed to treat SCD from 5.2% of collections in 2020 to 6.1% of collections year to date in 2021.
Increased self- identification of blood donor ethnicity from 66% to 91%, through increased educational opportunities.

PLEDGE 2

Versiti Blood Center of Indiana will create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

Focus Area: Workplace

We believe in enhancing lives through education, engagement, and environmental support. Versiti Blood Center of Indiana is committed to engaging in on-going education with our employees as well as the greater community for discussions to drive a deeper understanding and appreciation of the lives of people from historically underrepresented and underserved communities.

2022 PROGRESS

Supported two educational health initiatives impacting local underserved communities, including providing opportunities for employee participation:

Participated in Martin Center Sickle Cell 5K
Participated in United Way Day of Caring

Provided DE&I education to local leadership:

Versiti hosted podcast: Stand Out From The Inside, focusing on educating and integrating perspectives from ethnically diverse employees and community partners.

Worked to raise employee awareness of DE&I:

Celebrated Sickle Cell Awareness Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month and Juneteenth, including promoted education and awareness on our organizational social media.

2021 PROGRESS

To enhance lives through education, engagement and environmental support, Versiti Blood Center of Indiana has participated and supported the following local events:

Back To School Celebration @ Tarkington Park
Health Fair at Indiana Black Expo
Martin Center - Sickle Cell Initiative 25th Annual Sickle Cell 5K Walk/Run

PLEDGE 3

Versiti Blood Center of Indiana pledges to develop a workplace that reflects the community we serve.

Focus Areas: Workplace, Prosperity

We value and appreciate diverse talent across all areas of our organization. Versiti Blood Center of Indiana will enhance our teams by promoting a diverse, equitable and just work team that reflects the communities we serve.

2022 PROGRESS

Awarded 4 Versiti Community Impact Scholarships of $10,000 each to 4 Indiana students, of which 100% of awardees were diverse.
Awarded 2 Buhner Employee Scholarships of $5000 each to 2 Versiti Indiana employees, of which 50% of awardees were diverse.

2021 PROGRESS

Through a 15 set series of local leadership hosted Unconscious Bias (UB) discussions, Versiti Blood Center of Indiana is promoting open dialog about the importance of recognizing bias and actions we can take to mitigate UB.

With 60% of the UB discussions complete, 62% of staff reported the UB discussions as being valuable to them.
81% of staff have reported UB discussions as being significant for Versiti.

Our goal is to achieve a 90% completion rate for UB discussions by the end of 2021, promoting open conversations about a diverse, just and equitable community.

Join us in the important work of creating racial equity in Central Indiana.

Email us to learn more.