Dear Community Partners,
In light of the recent events both in Minneapolis and across the nation, it is important that we come together to speak out and take action in the name of social justice and equity. As a community provider, Axis Health System has a long history that is founded on social justice. In fact, the Community Health Center concept emerged from the 1960’s civil rights movement because more needed to be done to bring racial equity into the health system. We continue to draw on this history in all of the work we do today and we stand as an organization in solidarity with you against the perpetuation of systemic and structural racism.
Our organization steadfastly provides quality of care regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or socio-economic status and we will remain intentional and unwavering in our efforts to create a safe and inclusive environment for our staff and patients. In doing this work we also help to shape the communities we are a part of and, in turn, are shaped by those same communities. Now is the time to lean into our human connectedness, work to learn more about ourselves and each other and do more to bring real change.
One of the steps we are taking here at Axis is to provide training and resources for our staff on racial and health equity. We have compiled resources curated by our staff to share with each other and I thought I’d also share them with you, via the links below. Use them or share them if you find them helpful. Please also feel free to share our 24/7 Axis 24/7 Care Line with those you serve: 970.247.5245. We stand ready and available for anyone in our community who needs support.
Understanding Racial Equity and Healthcare:
Self-care and Community Healing Resources:
Toolkit: Healing in the Face of Cultural Trauma – developed by the Community Healing Network and the Association of Black Psychologists
Healing through Social Justice Blog: Understanding wellness through liberatory frameworks
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Resources- developed by the Northwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network
Axis Health System is committed to treating every person with dignity and care. We are also committed to engaging in the hard conversations and working together on solutions that deliver on meaningful and lasting progress on the important issues of social equity, racial equity and health equity. To do this we will continue to listen, educate ourselves and work in service to making a difference. I appreciate each of you as partners in our region, as none of us can do this alone.
With hope,
Shelly Burke
CEO |Axis Health System