Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity

Roper St. Francis Healthcare in partnership with Healthy Tri-country along with communities and other key partners are working together to improve the health and well-being of individuals in the Tri-country.  

We're committed to promoting cultural awareness and understanding across our healthcare system and strive to develop an atmosphere that values each person’s cultural, spiritual and emotional needs and considers their barriers to equal healthcare, no matter what. We believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare offers a list of services to consider the needs of our patients and programming for our teammates.

Language services
As the demographics of our patient population change, we are offering more healthcare interpreting options, such as TransPerfect and Stratus, to support equal access to care for people with hearing loss or limited English proficiency.

Cultural competency and unconscious bias training
Our diversifying patient population brings unique cultural beliefs, values and healthcare expectations. With our continued focus on patient safety and quality care, we are creating an environment that provides culturally appropriate care to all patients.

System-wide taskforces
We have a team of senior leaders, doctors and teammates who work together to improve the care experiences of those identified as priority populations, including:

• Active Military & Veterans
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+)
• People with Disabilities
• Suppliers Diversity

Diversity and Inclusion Council
The council is diverse group of teammates from across the system who are committed to:

• Supporting a culture that is inclusive and respectful of the various backgrounds and cultures reflected in our patients, workforce and the community.
• Embracing and adopting different perspectives, talents, knowledge and experience to accomplish Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s goals and objectives.
• Identifying, recommending and promoting inclusive diversity strategies that support fairness, equality and the achievement of our mission.

It’s our goal to ensure people in our community, regardless of background or social status, have the opportunity live a healthy life.

Community Health
Our Community Health team encourages partnerships with key organizations that address the social determinants of health (economic stability, neighborhood and physical environment, education, food, community and social context and healthcare system) to create pathways to high quality, equitable and affordable healthcare for those who need it most.

• Community Benefit and Investments Reporting
• Healthy Tri-County
• Opioid Reduction
• Congregational Health – Current outreach efforts include providing food boxes to churches in underserved areas of our community to address food insecurity. In 2021, we will begin working with faith communities in our priority zip codes [based on the social vulnerability index (SVI)] for each county. Berkeley County – St. Stephen. Charleston County – North Charleston (29405 and 29406). Dorchester County – St. George.
• General Community Outreach (health fairs, community health screenings, etc.)
• Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA)
  • 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment
  • 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment
• Women's Health
  

The team also includes Roper St. Francis departments that care for underserved and/or uninsured populations.

• AccessHealth Tri-County Network
• Greer Transitions Clinic
• Roper St. Francis Health Services Center
• Lowcountry and Waring Senior Center

To learn about upcoming Community Health events, visit our community calendar.

For information on donating to these programs, please contact the Roper St. Francis Foundation.